ash

¹

[ ash ]

noun

1. the powdery residue of matter that remains after burning.
2. Also called volcanic ash. Geology. finely pulverized lava thrown out by a volcano in eruption.
3. a light, silvery-gray color.
4. ashes,
   1. deathlike grayness; extreme pallor suggestive of death.
   2. ruins, especially the residue of something destroyed; remains; vestiges:

      the ashes of their love;

      the ashes of the past.

   3. mortal remains, especially the physical or corporeal body as liable to decay.
   4. anything, as an act, gesture, speech, or feeling, that is symbolic of penance, regret, remorse, or the like.

ash

²

[ ash ]

noun

1. any of various trees of the genus Fraxinus, of the olive family, especially F. excelsior, of Europe and Asia, or F. americana white ash, of North America, having opposite, pinnate leaves and purplish flowers in small clusters.
2. the tough, straight-grained wood of any of these trees, valued as timber.
3. Also æsc. the symbol “æ.”

ash

¹

/ æʃ /

noun

1. the digraph æ , as in Old English, representing a front vowel approximately like that of the a in Modern English hat. The character is also used to represent this sound in the International Phonetic Alphabet

ash

²

/ æʃ /

noun

1. any oleaceous tree of the genus Fraxinus, esp F. excelsior of Europe and Asia, having compound leaves, clusters of small greenish flowers, and winged seeds
2. the close-grained durable wood of any of these trees, used for tool handles, etc
3. any of several trees resembling the ash, such as the mountain ash
4. any of several Australian trees resembling the ash, esp of the eucalyptus genus

ash

³

/ æʃ /

noun

1. the nonvolatile products and residue formed when matter is burnt
2. See soda ash
   any of certain compounds formed by burning See soda ash
3. fine particles of lava thrown out by an erupting volcano
4. a light silvery grey colour, often with a brownish tinge

ASH

⁴

/ æʃ /

acronym for

1. Action on Smoking and Health

Other Words From

• ashi·ness noun
• ashless adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of ash¹

First recorded before 950; Middle English a(i)sshe, Old English asce, æsce; cognate with Frisian esk, Dutch asch, Old Norse, Old High German aska ( German Asche ), Gothic azgo, from unattested Germanic askōn- (with Gothic form unexplained); akin to Latin ārēre “to be dry” ( arid ) and āra “altar,” Oscan aasaí “on the altar,” Tocharian ās- “to get dry,” Sanskrit ā́sa- “ashes,” Hittite hassi “on the hearth”; from Proto-Indo-European root as- “to burn, glow” (unattested)

Origin of ash²

First recorded before 900; Middle English asshe, Old English æsc; cognate with Frisian esk, Middle Low German, Middle Dutch asch, Old Saxon, Old High German asc ( German Esche, with altered vowel from the adjective derivative eschen, Middle High German eschîn ), Old Norse askr; akin to Latin ornus, Welsh onnen, Russian yáseń, Polish jesion, Czech jasan, Lithuanian úosis, Armenian hatsʰi; Albanian ah “beech,” from Proto-Indo-European ōs, os “ash (tree)” (unattested)

Word History and Origins

Origin of ash¹

Old English æsc; related to Old Norse askr, Old Saxon, Old High German ask, Lithuanian uosis

Origin of ash²

Old English æsce; related to Old Norse, Old High German aska, Gothic azgō, Latin aridus dry

Example Sentences

Propped upright by tree limbs cast in bronze, it is directed toward a giant ash tree.

From Washington Post

This deposit may have resulted from an explosive eruption that blanketed the area in ash.

From Quanta Magazine

Though you use regular firewood, there is “nearly no smoke and minimal ash left over.”

From Fortune

Recent Georgia Power tests of groundwater show that coal ash contaminants appear to be migrating out of the ponds at some plant sites, according to experts who reviewed company filings.

From ProPublica

They died together at the villa of Civita Giuliana, probably while trying to flee or seek better shelter from a dense, fast-moving cloud of superheated volcanic gas and ash.

From Ars Technica

The JMG office that just a few days  ago received victims of human rights abuse is now empty,  covered in black  ash.

From The Daily Beast

Brash, crass, and sporting a perpetually raised eyebrow, Ash Williams remains the ultimate postmodern superhero.

From The Daily Beast

Volcanoes spewed lava and ash, ocean floors were thrust upward, sand and rock and shale settled into slurry.

From The Daily Beast

The company says this produces wood that ignites easier and burns cleaner, with less creosote and ash.

From The Daily Beast

Lava and ash fell for days; the sun was obliterated for three months.

From The Daily Beast

In roots and tubers the variations are less, and all, except the potato and the turnip, contain about seven per cent of ash.

From Project Gutenberg

Saussure has also observed that the quantity of ash diminishes in certain plants when the seed has ripened.

From Project Gutenberg

Thus, it has been found that in early spring the wood of the young shoots of the horse-chesnut contains 9·9 per cent of ash.

From Project Gutenberg

The lighter the color of the tobacco the lighter the ash and the milder the flavor of the cigar.

From Project Gutenberg

Silica is an invariable constituent of the ash, but in most plants occurs but in small quantity.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• drab
• dusty
• grey
• silvery