Lye
name, noun, verb ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 An alkaline liquid made by leaching ashes (usually wood ashes). countable, uncountable
- 2 Obsolete spelling of lie. alt-of, obsolete
- 3 a strong solution of sodium or potassium hydroxide wordnet
- 4 Potassium or sodium hydroxide (caustic soda). countable, uncountable
"She had not left the lye in too long so that the hair would fall out in clumps later."
- 5 A short side line, connected with the main line; a turn-out; a siding. UK
"Brakevan lye. [same page in the main text] There is also an inclined lye for brakevans at each end of the yard."
- 1 To treat with lye.
- 2 Obsolete spelling of lie. alt-of, obsolete
"Now negligent of sports I lye, And now as other Fawkners use, I spring a mistresse, sweare, write, sigh and weepe: And the game kill'd, or lost, goe talk, and sleepe."
- 1 A suburban area in the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley, West Midlands, England (OS grid ref SO9284).
- 2 A diminutive of the female given name Lyanna. rare
Example
More examples"She covers her arms and legs with lye every day, burning and itching and thinking "I'm gonna look so good.""
Etymology
From 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”). Compare typologically Ancient Greek ῥύμμα (rhúmma) < ῥύπτω (rhúptō, “to cleanse, to wash”).
Variant of lie (“to rest horizontally”) now used in a specialised sense; compare sett.
Related phrases
More for "lye"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.