Lye
[laɪ]
Definition
(n.) A strong caustic alkaline solution of potassium salts, obtained by leaching wood ashes. It is much used in making soap, etc.
(n.) A short side line, connected with the main line; a turn-out; a siding.
(n.) A falsehood.
Typist: Tim
Synonyms and Synonymous
n. Lixivium.
Editor: Moore
Definition
n. a short side-branch of railway.
n. a solution leached from ashes: a solution of the fixed alkalies potash and soda in water.
Editor: Myra
Examples
- In practice, the wood ashes were boiled in water, which was then strained off, and the resulting filtrate, or lye, was mixed with the fats for soap making. Bertha M. Clark. General Science.
- Colours dyed in this way become fixed, and no soap or lye will ever wash them out. Plato. The Republic.
- In 1826 a patent was granted in the United States to one Lye for a sewing machine, but no records of the same remain, as all were burned in the fire of 1836. Edward W. Byrn. The Progress of Invention in the Nineteenth Century.
- Grease and fat were boiled with water and hardwood ashes, which are rich in lye, and from the mixture came the soft soap used by our ancestors. Bertha M. Clark. General Science.
- Dissolve the concentrated lye in the water, add the sugar and boil the solution, meanwhile gradually adding the arsenic. William K. David. Secrets of Wise Men, Chemists and Great Physicians.
- But this property of bases, harmful in one way, is put to advantage in the home, where grease is removed from drainpipe and sink by the application of lye, a strong base. Bertha M. Clark. General Science.
Inputed by Byron