noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1. 1
   A white amorphous or granular substance which consists principally of potassium carbonate and has a strong alkaline reaction. It is obtained by lixiviating wood ashes and evaporating the lye, and has been an important source of potassium compounds. It is used in making soap, glass, etc. countable, uncountable

Etymology

From pearl + ash. Compare potash.

Related phrases

potassium carbonate

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.