lye
An alkaline liquid made by leaching ashesAn alkaline liquid made by leaching ashes (usually wood ashes).
» Lye is a key ingredient in the soap-making process.
Meaning
3 senses(countable, uncountable)An alkaline liquid made by leaching ashes (usually wood ashes).
(countable, uncountable)Potassium or sodium hydroxide (caustic soda).
Lauge, Ätznatron, kaustisches Soda
щёлокščólok, ка́устикkáustik, е́дкий натрjédkij natr
лугluh
a strong solution of sodium or potassium hydroxide
(UK)A short side line, connected with the main line; a turn-out; a siding.
Examples
3 sentencesLye is a key ingredient in the soap-making process.
Before olives can be eaten, they must be soaked in lye, which must then be rinsed off.
She covers her arms and legs with lye every day, burning and itching and thinking "I'm gonna look so good."
Translations
9 languagesBy meaning 1
By meaning 2
By meaning 2
Origin
From Middle English leye, lye, from Old English lēah, lēag (“lye”), from Proto-West GermanFrom Middle English leye, lye, from Old English lēah, lēag (“lye”), from Proto-West Germanic *laugu, from Proto-Germanic *laugō, from Proto-Indo-European *lewh₃- (“to wash”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian Loge, Looie (“lye”), Dutch loog (“lye”), German Low German Loge, Loje, Loog (“lye”), German Lauge (“lye”).
Variant of lie (“to rest horizontally”) now used in a specialised sense; compare sett.
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Forms
plural: lyesWord family
4 related wordsLessons for this word
1 lessons- A1Countable and uncountable nouns — Because it can be uncountable