potash

noun

1. (countable, uncountable)The water-soluble part of wood ash, used for making soap and glass and as a fertilizer (chemically speaking, an impure form of potassium carbonate (K₂CO₃) mixed with other potassium salts).
2. (archaic, countable, uncountable)Potassium. Chiefly used in the names of compounds of the form "... of potash".

   “permanganate of potash”

3. (countable, uncountable)A class of potassium minerals, of similar applicability to potassium carbonate, such as being a fertilizer. (ie. potassium chloride, potassium hydroxide)

verb

1. To treat with potassium.

   “In order to ascertain the difference between the rapidity of pickling when the tin frames had been potashed and pickling without such treatment, two batches were used.”

   “Gold ornaments are sand blasted or steel brushed nicely, then potashed,”

   “After removal from a worker bee they should be potashed in ten percent potassium hydroxide, washed, dehydrated, cleared, and mounted.”

   “For the extraction of the internal sclerites the aedeagus was potashed in cold saturated KOH solution for several hours and transferred to a vial of distilled water.”

name

1. A surname.