noun

ash

ASH

noun

The gray powdery residue left after something has burned.

"She tapped the ash from her cigarette into the tray."

"Ash from the wildfire drifted for miles and coated parked cars."

A hardwood tree of the genus Fraxinus, or its pale, tough timber.

"The baseball bat was made of solid ash."

The remains of a cremated body (usually plural, "ashes").

"Her ashes were scattered over the coast she loved."

How to Use Ash

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishThe gray residue left after burning, or (unrelated meaning) a common shade tree with tough, pale wood.

Common pairings

pile of ash volcanic ash ash tree scatter the ashes

ashed past tense, ashes plural, ashes plural, Ashes plural, ashes singular

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She tapped the _____ from her cigarette into the tray.

From Old English æsce, going back to a very old Germanic and Indo-European root connected to fire, burning, and dryness.

lash mash bash rash cash dash wash hash sash Tash Nash Kash