potash

American  

[pot-ash] / ˈpɒtˌæʃ /

noun

1. potassium carbonate, especially the crude impure form obtained from wood ashes.

2. potassium hydroxide.

3. the oxide of potassium, K 2 O.

4. potassium, as carbonate of potash.

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potash British  

/ ˈpɒtˌæʃ /

noun

1. another name for potassium carbonate, esp the form obtained by leaching wood ash

2. another name for potassium hydroxide

3. potassium chemically combined in certain compounds

   chloride of potash

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potash Scientific  

/ pŏt′ăsh′ /

1. Any of several chemical compounds that contain potassium, especially potassium carbonate (K ₂ CO ₃), which is a strongly alkaline material obtained from wood ashes and used in fertilizers.

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Etymology

Origin of potash

1615–25; back formation from plural pot-ashes, translation of early Dutch potasschen. See pot ¹, ash ¹

Example Sentences

Potash, by contrast, has been largely insulated since it’s mostly produced outside of the Middle East.

From Barron's • May 1, 2026

Potash, the potassium-rich component of fertilizers, has also been in short supply in recent years, in part because of economic sanctions on Belarus and Russia, which are major potash producers.

From Salon • Apr. 8, 2026

Brazil Potash argues that producing fertilizer domestically could ease pressure on forests nationwide, since many farmers clear new land instead of reusing old fields simply because they lack the nutrients to restore soil fertility.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 5, 2025

Potash mining generates millions of tonnes of refuse mostly composed of sodium chloride salts, which can leach into soils and salinise soil and water tables, harming plants and animals.

From Science Daily • Feb. 19, 2024

Abe Potash said to his partner, Morris Perlmutter, as he pored over form 1040, revised January, 1918, which bore in large black letters the heading, "Individual Income-tax Return for Calendar Year 1917."

From Worrying Won't Win by Glass, Montague

Related Words

• manure