lye

[ lahy ]

/ laɪ /

noun Chemistry.

a highly concentrated, aqueous solution of potassium hydroxide or sodium hydroxide.

any solution resulting from leaching, percolation, or the like.

QUIZZES

TAKE THIS QUIZ TO SEE WHAT YOU KNOW ABOUT HIGH SCHOOL PUNCTUATION!

Commas mark divisions in sentences. Periods end declarative sentences. Apostrophes show possession. Easy, right? Well, punctuation can get pretty tricky—fast. Think you got what it takes to be a punctuation expert? Take our quiz to prove it!

Question 1 of 10

Which of the options below is the best punctuation for the sentence? It__s your turn to pick the movie __ but your sister gets to pick the board game we _ re going to play.

Its your turn to pick the movie but your sister gets to pick the board game we’re going to play.

It’s your turn to pick the movie but your sister gets to pick the board game were going to play.

It’s your turn to pick the movie, but your sister gets to pick the board game we’re going to play.

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Origin of lye

before 900; Middle English lie, ley, Old English lēag; cognate with Dutch loog, German Lauge lye, Old Norse laug warm bath. See lave¹

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH lye

lie lye

Words nearby lye

lyddite, lydgate, lydia, lydian, lydian mode, lye, lye hominy, lyefish, lyell, lyell's disease, lyell, charles

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for lye

Another discusses being bathed by her grandmother as a child with lye soap in an effort to lighten her complexion.
Beyonce and the Myth of Black Beauty|Allison Samuels|March 2, 2012|DAILY BEAST
In principle the lye boil is simple, consisting in boiling the goods with a solution of soda ash, or caustic soda.
The Dyeing of Cotton Fabrics|Franklin Beech
If this be true, the bodies of Christians do lye unnaturally in their Graves.
The Works of Sir Thomas Browne (Volume 1 of 3)|Thomas Browne
The frames being each about two inches thick, the flowers undergo very little pressure, though they lye between the cloths.
The Toilet of Flora|Pierre-Joseph Buc'hoz

Repeat the process of closing, graining and settling and take a sample of lye.
Soap-Making Manual|E. G. Thomssen
Lixivium means made into lye; hence, of the color of ashes and water.
The Mushroom, Edible and Otherwise|M. E. Hard

British Dictionary definitions for lye

lye

/ (laɪ) /

noun

any solution obtained by leaching, such as the caustic solution obtained by leaching wood ash

a concentrated solution of sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide

Word Origin for lye

Old English lēag; related to Middle Dutch lōghe, Old Norse laug bath, Latin lavāre to wash

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

Scientific definitions for lye

lye

[ lī ]

A strong alkaline solution or solid of potassium hydroxide or sodium hydroxide, made by allowing water to wash through wood ashes. It is used to make soap and drain and oven cleaners. Chemical formula: KOH or NaOH.