Link Centre Dictionary

alkali

al·kali

UK/ˈæl.kəˌlaɪ/ US/ˈælkʌˌlaɪ/ fairly common us

noun

1.

any of various water-soluble compounds capable of turning litmus blue and reacting with an acid to form a salt and water

  • “bases include oxides and hydroxides of metals and ammonia”
Synonyms
2.

a mixture of soluble salts found in arid soils and some bodies of water; detrimental to agriculture

Origin

From French alcali, from Medieval Latin alcali, ultimately from Arabic اَلْقِلْي (al-qily, “alkali, ashes (in reference to ashes of the saltwort)”), related to قَلَى (qalā, “to roast in a pan, fry”).

Phrases

  • alkali basalt
  • alkali bee
  • alkali cellulose
  • alkali feldspar
  • alkali flat
  • alkali fly
  • alkali grass
  • alkali green

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

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WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.