definitions

ash

1
[ ash ]
/ æʃ /
|
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR ash 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,
  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.

RELATED WORDS

powder, soot, dust, slag, charcoal, cinders, remains, rubble, debris, remnants, relics

Nearby words

aseyev, asfetida, asgard, asgd., asgmt., ash, ash blond, ash can, ash can school, ash color, ash fall

Origin of ash

1
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 < Germanic *askōn- (with Goth unexplained); akin to Latin ārēre be dry (see arid), Tocharian ās- get dry, Sanskrit ā́sa- ashes, Hittite hassi on the hearth; < Indo-European *HaHs-

Related forms

ash·i·ness, nounash·less, adjective

Definition for ashes (2 of 2)

ash

2
[ ash ]
/ æʃ /

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

2
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 adj. derivative eschen, Middle High German eschîn), Old Norse askr; akin to Latin ornus, Welsh onnen, Russian yásenʾ, Czech jasan, Lithuanian úosis, Armenian hatsʰi; Albanian ah beech; < Indo-European *Hoes-
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for ashes

British Dictionary definitions for ashes (1 of 6)

ashes

/ (ˈæʃɪz) /

pl n

ruins or remains, as after destruction or burningthe city was left in ashes
the remains of a human body after cremation

British Dictionary definitions for ashes (2 of 6)

Ashes

/ (ˈæʃɪz) /

pl n

the Ashes a cremated cricket stump in a pottery urn now preserved at Lord's. Victory or defeat in test matches between England and Australia is referred to as winning, losing, or retaining the Ashes

Word Origin for Ashes

from the mock obituary of English cricket in The Times in 1882 after a great Australian victory at the Oval, in which it was said that the body would be cremated and the ashes taken to Australia

British Dictionary definitions for ashes (3 of 6)

ash

1
/ (æʃ) /

noun

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

Related forms

Related adjective: cinereous

Word Origin for ash

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

British Dictionary definitions for ashes (4 of 6)

ash

2
/ (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

Word Origin for ash

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

British Dictionary definitions for ashes (5 of 6)

ash

3
/ (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 ashes (6 of 6)

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