ash

1 of 3

noun (1)

ˈash 

1

: any of a genus (Fraxinus) of trees of the olive family with pinnate leaves, thin furrowed bark, and gray branchlets

2

: the tough elastic wood of an ash

3

[Old English æsc, name of the corresponding runic letter] : the ligature æ used in Old English and some phonetic alphabets to represent a low front vowel \a\

Illustration of ash

• ¹ash 1

ash

2 of 3

noun (2)

often attributive

1

: something that symbolizes grief, repentance, or humiliation

2

a

: the solid residue left when combustible material is thoroughly burned or is oxidized by chemical means

b

: fine particles of mineral matter from a volcanic vent

3

ashes plural : the remains of the dead human body after cremation or disintegration

4

ashes plural : deathly pallor

the lip of ashes and the cheek of flame

—Lord Byron

5

ashes plural : ruins

ashless

ˈash-ləs 

adjective

ash

3 of 3

verb

ashed; ashing; ashes

transitive verb

1

technical : to convert into ash

The insoluble resid fractions are ashed at 800°C to constant weight.

—Joseph Haggin

2

: to remove ash residue from (something, such as a cigarette) usually by flicking or tapping

She ashed her cigarette onto a patch of dirt floor, then handed it to me.

—Dominic Smith

3

: to apply ash to : to coat with ashes

The rules that once governed the way the game was played had been burnt to the ground, and the earth was salted and ashed for good measure.

—Ani Bundel

It's a cow's milk soft cheese that's ashed on the outside. (It's kind of like a goth brie.)

—Erin Edwards

Synonyms

Noun (2)

• debris
• detritus
• flotsam
• remains
• residue
• rubble
• ruins
• wreck
• wreckage

Examples of ash in a Sentence

Noun (2)

a new and more splendid city was built on the ashes of the old

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The eruption of Sunset Crater in 1085 covered the dry basin with volcanic ash and cinders, creating arable terrain. —Roger Naylor, The Arizona Republic, 10 May 2024

In fact, they’re found in high concentrations in the waste material leftover from previous mining operations—like coal ash in West Virginia or the highly-toxic sludge found in the Berkley Pit in Butte, Montana. —Travis Hall, Field & Stream, 8 May 2024

The blaze was able to spread so rapidly because of a lack of finished walls in the building, and the breeze that carried the unrestricted flames and ash, Johnson said. —Evan Moore, Charlotte Observer, 6 May 2024

Until recently, no pests really bothered it, but as it's related to ash, don't plant it in areas infested by the emerald ash borer. —Steve Bender, Southern Living, 3 May 2024

There were layers of ash, which told the archaeologists that there had been repeated combustion down in the chultún, but there was no evidence of fire or soot on the walls, suggesting the rest of the compartment was built up around the pit later. —Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 3 May 2024

Burning coal also generates millions of tons of ash, which can contain toxic heavy metals such as mercury, arsenic and cadmium. —Patrick Parenteau, The Conversation, 1 May 2024

The tale was recalled on a papyrus scroll buried under volcanic ash from Mount Vesuvius. —Morgan Haefner, Quartz, 1 May 2024

The rule issued on April 25 forces owners to safely close inactive coal ash ponds and clean up contamination. —Chris Carlson, The Christian Science Monitor, 25 Apr. 2024

Verb

The ice could also still be polluted by natural sources such as wildfire smoke, dust or even ash from volcanic eruptions, Francis added. —Laura Paddison, CNN, 1 Mar. 2024

Elsewhere in the Kardashian multiverse, Kylie Jenner and Timothée Chalamet went public with their relationship, kissing and cuddling in the VIP section with Chalamet ashing cigarettes into the crowd … have some more respect for both the artistry and Diana Ross’s lungs. —Vulture, 5 Sep. 2023

For charcoal, ignite a large chimney of coals, let burn until lightly ashed over, then distribute the coals evenly over one side of the grill bed; open the bottom grill vents. —Christopher Kimball, BostonGlobe.com, 22 Aug. 2023

Many of the people being called on to help played similar roles in the aftermath of the Camp fire, the 2018 disaster in Northern California that killed 85 people and reduced to ash the town of Paradise, in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. —Tim Arango, New York Times, 16 Aug. 2023

Kahele, who moved to Alaska in 2009 from Oahu, said she was devastated by the stories of the fire, which has reduced entire neighborhoods in historic Lahaina to ash this week. —Annie Berman, Anchorage Daily News, 11 Aug. 2023

The pandemic has had many people adopting pets and spending money on them ash the search for extra companionship at home. —Dallas News, 19 May 2021

Plus, its new Timberline grease-and-keg system automatically vacuums ash into a bucket, for less cleanup and more cooking. —Christian Gollayan, Men's Health, 22 Nov. 2022

The more typical scenario of volcanic activity is a prolonged eruption that deposits ash over weeks, according to joint research from Oxford, Bristol and East Anglia universities and the British Geological Survey. —Stephen Wright, WSJ, 26 Jan. 2022

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English asshe, from Old English æsc; akin to Old High German ask ash, Latin ornus mountain ash

Noun (2)

Middle English, usually as plural asshen, askes, axen, ashes, going back to Old English axe, asce (feminine weak noun), going back to Germanic *askōn- (whence also Old Saxon asc-, in ascal "ash-colored," Old High German asca, ascha "ash," Old Norse aska) beside apparent *azgō in Gothic azgo "ash," both of uncertain origin

Note: The older handbooks see the Germanic etymon as a "root extension" of a verbal base *ā̌s- "burn," in current laryngealist terms *h₁eh₂s-,*h₂h_̥1s- "make dry through heat" ("[durch Hitze] vertrocknen" in Lexikon der indogermanischen Verben)—see etymology and note at arid. The discrepancy between West and North Germanic ask- (from *azg-?) and Gothic azg- (from *azg^h-?) is variously explained. E. Seebold (Etymologisches Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache, 22. Auflage) regards the velar extension as a suffix of appurtenance, the ashes being in effect "what belongs to the hearth/fire." (Also of relevance would be Armenian azazim "become dry, wither," if from *h₂h_̥1s-g^h- —see H. Martirosyan, Etymologial Dictionary of the Armenian Inherited Lexicon, Brill, 2010 s.v.) Seebold sees the "ash" words with long vowels (Hittite ḫāšš- "ashes, dust," Sanskrit ā́saḥ) as parallel derivations, in this case by the employment of lengthened grade. The inconvenient Gothic word azgo is explained as the outcome of a suffixed verbal derivative *haz-d-ko- (on the verbal derivative see azalea). Departing completely from the root-extension hypotheses, G. Kroonen (Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Brill, 2013) sees the Germanic word as a possible compound of Indo-European *h₂ed- "dry up" and *d^heg^wh- "burn."

Verb

derivative of ash entry 2

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1655, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Phrases Containing ash

• American mountain ash
• ash-blond
• ash-blonde
• ash can
• bone ash
• emerald ash borer
• European mountain ash
• fly ash
• mountain ash
• prickly ash
• soda ash
• white ash

Kids Definition

ash

1 of 2 noun

ˈash 

1

: any of a genus of trees related to the olive and having bark with grooves and ridges and winged seeds

2

: the hard strong wood of an ash

ash

2 of 2 noun

1

a

: the solid that remains after material is thoroughly burned or is oxidized by chemical means

b

: fine particles of mineral matter from a volcanic vent

2

plural : the remains of something destroyed : ruins

3

plural : the remains of the dead human body especially after cremation

Etymology

Noun

Old English æsc "ash tree"

Noun

Old English asce "the remains of something burned"

Medical Definition

ash

noun

ˈash 

often attributive

1

: the solid residue left when combustible material is thoroughly burned or is oxidized by chemical means

2

ashes plural : the remains of the dead human body after cremation or disintegration