Word of the Day: Ash

ash / aSH   noun  

1. any of a genus of trees of the olive family which has gray branches, thin furrowed bark, and pinnate leaves

Of all the trees that grow so fair Old England to adorn, Greater are none beneath the Sun Than Oak, and Ash and Thorn. from ‘A Tree Song’ by Rudyard Kipling, 1865-1936  

2. the powdery residue left when a material is burned through

Receive this cross of ash upon your brow Brought from the burning of Palm Sunday’s cross; The forests of the world are burning now And you make late repentance for the loss. from ‘The Word in the Wilderness’ by Malcolm Guite, 1957-  

3. plural, remains of a body following cremation

One tenth of my ashes shall be given to my agent, as written in our contract. Groucho Marx, 1890-1977  

4. plural, deathly pallor

The color of young Kaled went and came, The lip of ashes and the cheek of flame[.] from ‘Lara’ by Lord Byron, 1788-1824  

5. plural, ruins

Without peace, all other dreams vanish and are reduced to ashes. Jawaharlal Nehru, 1889-1964