alkali

American  

[al-kuh-lahy] / ˈæl kəˌlaɪ /

noun

PLURAL

alkalis, alkalies

1. Chemistry.

   1. any of various bases, the hydroxides of the alkali metals and of ammonium, that neutralize acids to form salts and turn red litmus paper blue.

   2. any of various other more or less active bases, as calcium hydroxide.

   3. (not in technical use) an alkali metal.

   4. Obsolete.  any of various other compounds, as the carbonates of sodium and potassium.

2. Agriculture.  a soluble mineral salt or a mixture of soluble salts, present in some soils, especially in arid regions, and detrimental to the growing of most crops.

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adjective

1. Chemistry.  alkaline.

alkali British  

/ ˈælkəˌlaɪ /

noun

1. chem a soluble base or a solution of a base

2. a soluble mineral salt that occurs in arid soils and some natural waters

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alkali Scientific  

/ ăl′kə-lī′ /

PLURAL

alkalis

1. A hydroxide of an alkali metal. The aqueous solution of alkalis is bitter, slippery, caustic, and characteristically basic in reactions.

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alkali Cultural  

1. A bitter, caustic mineral often found in large beds in the desert. Alkalis are bases; two common examples are lye and ammonia.

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Discover More

Plants have difficulty growing in soil that is rich in alkalis.

Etymology

Origin of alkali

1300–50; Middle English alkaly < Middle French alcali < dialectal Arabic al-qalī, variant of Arabic qily saltwort ashes

Example Sentences

Lynn Boulton, the Sierra Club’s local conservation chair, walked along a dirt road to what was once a marshy alkali meadow.

From Los Angeles Times

And he has seen them descend on Mono Lake when the water is teeming with brine shrimp and the larvae and pupae of alkali flies.

From Los Angeles Times

She remembers the lake being much higher in her youth when she went to the shore with her family, carrying baskets to collect kootzabe, or alkali fly pupae, a traditional food source.

From Los Angeles Times

This process combines fats or oils with an alkali to produce soap.

From BBC

The company has one aquamation machine that uses alkali solution, heat and pressure to break down the organic material into ashes.

From Los Angeles Times