ash

Meanings

Noun

• The solid remains of a fire.
• The nonaqueous remains of a material subjected to any complete oxidation process.
• Fine particles from a volcano, volcanic ash.
• Human (or animal) remains after cremation.
• Mortal remains in general.
• What remains after a catastrophe.
• A gray colour, like that of ash.
• A shade tree of the genus Fraxinus.
• The wood of this tree.
• The traditional name for the ae ligature (æ), as used in Old English.

Verb

• To reduce to a residue of ash. See ashing.
• To hit the end off of a burning cigar or cigarette.
• To hit the end off (a burning cigar or cigarette).
• To cover newly-sown fields of crops with ashes.

Related

Similar words

• cremains

Origin

• From Middle English asshe, from Old English æsċe, from Proto-West Germanic *askā, from Proto-Germanic *askǭ (compare West Frisian jiske, Dutch as, Low German Asch, German Asche, Danish aske, Swedish aska, Norwegian ask), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eHs-; see it for cognates.
• The rare plural axen is from Middle English axen, axnen, from Old English axan, asċan (plural of Old English axe, æsċe).
• From Middle English asshe, from Old English æsċ, from Proto-Germanic *askaz, *askiz (compare West Frisian esk, Dutch es, German Esche, Danish/Norwegian/Swedish ask), from Proto-Indo-European *Heh₃s- (compare Welsh onnen, Latin ornus ("wild mountain ash"), Lithuanian úosis, Russian я́сень, Albanian ah ("beech"), Ancient Greek ὀξύα ("beech"), Old Armenian հացի).