ash

[ ash ]

See synonyms for: ash ashes on Thesaurus.com

noun

the powdery residue of matter that remains after burning.
Also called volcanic ash .Geology. finely pulverized lava thrown out by a volcano in eruption.

a light, silvery-gray color.
ashes,
- deathlike grayness; extreme pallor suggestive of death.
- ruins, especially the residue of something destroyed; remains; vestiges: the ashes of their love;the ashes of the past.
- mortal remains, especially the physical or corporeal body as liable to decay.
- anything, as an act, gesture, speech, or feeling, that is symbolic of penance, regret, remorse, or the like.

Origin of ash

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” (see 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)

Other words from ash

ash·i·ness, noun
ashless, adjective

Other definitions for ash (2 of 2)

ash²

[ ash ]

noun

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.
the tough, straight-grained wood of any of these trees, valued as timber.

Also æsc . the symbol “æ.”

Origin of ash

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)

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use ash in a sentence

Documentary history begins with Aethelberht, the great-grandson of Aesc, who reigned probably 560-616.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 15, Slice 7 | Various

British Dictionary definitions for ash (1 of 4)

ash¹

/ (æʃ) /

noun

the nonvolatile products and residue formed when matter is burnt
any of certain compounds formed by burning: See soda ash

fine particles of lava thrown out by an erupting volcano
a light silvery grey colour, often with a brownish tinge

Origin of ash

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

Other words from ash

Related adjective: cinereous

See also ashes

British Dictionary definitions for ash (2 of 4)

ash²

/ (æʃ) /

noun

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
the close-grained durable wood of any of these trees, used for tool handles, etc

any of several trees resembling the ash, such as the mountain ash
Australian any of several Australian trees resembling the ash, esp of the eucalyptus genus

Origin of ash

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

British Dictionary definitions for ash (3 of 4)

ash³

/ (æʃ) /

noun

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

British Dictionary definitions for ASH (4 of 4)

ASH

/ (æʃ) /

n acronym for(in Britain)

Action on Smoking and Health

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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