n. 1 any forest-tree of the genus Fraxinus, with silver-grey bark, compound leaves, and hard, tough, pale wood. 2 its wood. 3 an Old English runic letter, = (named from a word of which it was the first letter). ash-key the winged seed of the ash-tree, growing in clusters resembling keys. ash-plant a sapling from an ash-tree, used as a walking-stick etc.
[ OE sc f. Gmc ]