Word of the Day: Ash
ash / aSH
noun
- 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
- 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-
- 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
- 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
- plural, ruins
Without peace, all other dreams vanish and are reduced to ashes.
Jawaharlal Nehru, 1889-1964