ash

1. (ambitransitive, chemistry) To reduce to a residue of ash. See ashing.Examples: "I dried the extracted leather very slowly on the steam bath […] until the substance was dry enough to ash. […] I think that the discrepancy in the percentages of "total ash" by method No. 2 and No. 6 is due to this excessive heat required to ash the leather […]"; "The inorganic material left after ashing lung tissue specimens not only contains inhaled particles but also very large quantities of inorganic residue derived from the tissue itself."; "Ash and silica contents of the plant material were determined by classical gravimetric techniques. Tissue samples were ashed in platinum crucibles at about 500 °C, and the ash was treated repeatedly with 6 N hydrochloric acid to remove other mineral impurities."ambitransitive

2. (ambitransitive) To hit the end off (a burning cigar or cigarette).Examples: ""Nonsense," Mrs. Gardiner challenged, ashing her cigarette."; "He realized that he was standing staring at her and he sat down quickly, making a business of ashing his cigarette."; "Hamilton ashed his cigar, and studied the end of it for some moments without speaking."ambitransitive

3. (transitive, Christianity, chiefly passive voice) To mark (someone) with an ashen cross on the forehead to observe Ash Wednesday.transitive

4. (obsolete, chiefly passive voice) To cover newly-sown fields of crops with ashes.Examples: "Last spring, after I planted, I took what ashes I have saved during the last year, and put on my corn […] . On harvesting I cut up the two rows which were not ashed (or twenty rods of them,) and set them apart from the others in stouts; and then I cut up two rows of the same length, on each side, which had been ashed, […]"; "After the corn was planted, upon acre A, I spread broadcast one hundred bushels of lime, (cost $3) and fifty bushels of ashes, (cost $6.) […] The extra crop of the combination over the limed acre or ashed, was paid by the increased crop, […]"obsolete

1. (countable, uncountable) A shade tree of the genus Fraxinus.Examples: "The ash trees are dying off due to emerald ash borer."; "The woods planted in ash will see a different mix of species."Synonyms: ash treecountableuncountable

2. (countable, uncountable) Any tree of certain species of other genera.countableuncountable

3. (uncountable) The wood of this tree.uncountable

1. (Internet slang, text messaging) Abbreviation of as hell or as heck.Synonyms: asf, aslInternetabbreviationalt-ofnot-comparable

1. (Egyptian mythology) The Egyptian god of oases.Egyptiancountableuncountable