HOW TO USE THE DICTIONARY

To look up an entry in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, use the search window above. For best results, after typing in the word, click on the “Search” button instead of using the “enter” key.

Some compound words (like bus rapid transit, dog whistle, or identity theft) don’t appear on the drop-down list when you type them in the search bar. For best results with compound words, place a quotation mark before the compound word in the search window.

guide to the dictionary

ash¹

(ăsh)

1. The grayish-white to black powdery residue left when something is burned.

2. Geology Pulverized particulate matter ejected by volcanic eruption.

3. The mineral residue of incinerated organic matter, used as an additive in pet foods.

4. ashes Ruins: the ashes of a lost culture.

5. ashes Bodily remains, especially after cremation or decay.

v. ashed, ash·ing, ash·es

v.tr.

To reduce or convert to ash: ash a tissue sample for analysis.

v.intr.

Informal To drop ashes from a cigar or cigarette: accidentally ashed on his own sleeve.

[Middle English asshe, from Old English æsce; see as- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

ash²

(ăsh)

1. Any of various chiefly deciduous trees of the genus Fraxinus, having opposite, pinnately compound leaves, clusters of small flowers, and one-seeded winged fruits.

2. The strong, elastic wood of any of these trees, used for furniture, tool handles, and sporting goods such as baseball bats.

3. Linguistics The letter æ in Old English and some modern phonetic alphabets, representing the vowel sound of Modern English ash.

[Middle English asshe, from Old English æsc.]

(click for a larger image)

ash²

white ash

Fraxinus americana

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

American Heritage Dictionary Products

HOW TO USE THE DICTIONARY

THE USAGE PANEL

AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY APP

THE AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY BLOG

INTERESTED IN DICTIONARIES?

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

American Heritage Dictionary Products