alkali
noun/ˈæl.kəˌlaɪ/
Etymology From French alcali, from Medieval Latin alcali, ultimately from Arabic اَلْقِلْي (al-qily, “alkali, ashes of the saltwort”), related to قَلَى (qalā, “to roast in a pan, fry”).
1
Chemistry, Natural sciences, Physical sciences One of a class of caustic bases, such as soda, soda ash, caustic soda, potash, ammonia, and lithia, whose distinguishing characteristics are dissolving in alcohol and water, uniting with oils and fats to form soap, neutralizing and forming salts with acids, turning to brown several vegetable yellows, and changing reddened litmus to blue.
- Alkalies may be defined as bodies which combine with acids so as to impair or neutralize their activity, and produce what are called salts. They are distinguished by properties the reverse of acids, and the two classes are generally looked upon as antagonist substances.1846, editorial staff, “CHEMISTRY”, in Scientific American, series 1, Volume 2, Issue 13, page 102:
- Synonyms
- base
- Antonyms
- acid
- Derived terms
42 terms
alkalaemia, alkalamide, alkalemia, alkalescent, alkali basalt, alkali bee, alkalibiont, alkalibiontic, alkalic, alkali cellulose, alkali feldspar, alkaliferous, alkali flat, alkali fly, alkalify, alkaligen, alkaligenous, alkaligrass, alkali grass, alkali green, alkali metal, alkalimeter, alkalimetric, alkalimetry, alkaline, alkalinogenic, alkalious, alkaliphile, alkaliproof, alkalization, alkalize, alkalosis, antalkali, bialkali, caustic alkali, caustic marine alkali, caustic volatile alkali, caustic wood alkali, chloralkali, haloalkaliphilic, milk-alkali syndrome, superalkali