ash 1
— ashiness , n. — ashless , adj.
/ash/ , n.
1. the powdery residue of matter that remains after burning.
2. Also called volcanic ash . Geol. finely pulverized lava thrown out by a volcano in eruption.
3. a light, silvery-gray color.
4. ashes ,
a. deathlike grayness; extreme pallor suggestive of death.
b. ruins, esp. the residue of something destroyed; remains; vestiges: the ashes of their love; the ashes of the past.
c. mortal remains, esp. the physical or corporeal body as liable to decay.
d. anything, as an act, gesture, speech, or feeling, that is symbolic of penance, regret, remorse, or the like.
[ bef. 950; ME a ( i ) sshe, OE asce, aesce; c. Fris esk, D asch, ON, OHG aska (G Asche ), Goth azgo askon- (with Goth unexplained); akin to L arere be dry (see ARID), Tocharian as- get dry, Skt ása- ashes, Hittite hassi on the hearth; HaHs- ]
ash 2
/ash/ , n.
1. any of various trees of the genus Fraxinus, of the olive family, esp. F. excelsior, of Europe and Asia, or F. americana (white ash) , of North America, having opposite, pinnate leaves and purplish flowers in small clusters.
2. the tough, straight-grained wood of any of these trees, valued as timber.
3. Also, aesc . the symbol "ae."
[ bef. 900; ME asshe, OE aesc; c. Fris esk, MLG, MD asch, OS, OHG asc (G Esche, with altered vowel from the adj. deriv. eschen, MHG eschîn ), ON askr; akin to L ornus, Welsh onnen, Russ yásen', Czech jasan, Lith úosis, Armenian hats h i; Albanian ah beech; H o es- ]