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lye

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lye

   [lahy]
–nounChemistry.
1.
a highly concentrated, aqueous solution of potassium hydroxide or sodium hydroxide.
2.
any solution resulting from leaching, percolation, or the like.
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Origin:
bef. 900; ME lie, ley, OE lēag; c. D loog, G Lauge lye, ON laug warm bath. See lave1

—Can be confused: lie, lye.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2010.
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World English Dictionary
lye (laɪ) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
—n
1.  any solution obtained by leaching, such as the caustic solution obtained by leaching wood ash
2.  a concentrated solution of sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide
 
[Old English lēag; related to Middle Dutch lōghe, Old Norse laug bath, Latin lavāre to wash]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Word Origin & History

lye
O.E. læg, leag, from P.Gmc. *laugo (cf. M.Du. loghe, Du. loog, O.H.G. louga, Ger. Lauge "lye"), from PIE root *lou- "to wash" (see lave). The substance was used in the old days in place of soap, hence O.H.G. luhhen "to wash," O.N. laug "hot bath, hot spring," Dan. lørdag, Swed. lördag "Saturday," lit. "washing-day." Chamber-lye in the Middle Ages was the name for urine used as a detergent.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

lye definition

Pronunciation: /ˈlī/
Function: n
1 : a strong alkaline liquor rich in potassium carbonate leached from wood ashes and used especially in making soap and washing
broadly : a strong alkaline solution (as of sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide)
2 : a solid caustic (as sodium hydroxide)
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2007 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Science Dictionary
lye   (lī)  Pronunciation Key 
A strong alkaline solution or solid of potassium hydroxide or sodium hydroxide, made by allowing water to wash through wood ashes. It is used to make soap and drain and oven cleaners. Chemical formula: KOH or NaOH.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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