Word Meanings - ALKALI - Book Publishers vocabulary database

One of a class of caustic bases, such as soda, potash, ammoma, and lithia, whose distinguishing peculiarities are solubility in alcohol and water, uniting with oils and fats to form soap, neutralizing and forming salts with acids, turning to brown

Additional info about word: ALKALI

One of a class of caustic bases, such as soda, potash, ammoma, and lithia, whose distinguishing peculiarities are solubility 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. Fixed alkalies, potash and soda. -- Vegetable alkalies. Same as Alkaloids. -- Volatile alkali, ammonia, so called in distinction from the fixed alkalies. (more info) fr. Ar. alqali ashes of the plant saltwort, fr. qalay to roast in a 1. Soda ash; caustic soda, caustic potash, etc.

Related words: (words related to ALKALI)

• WHOSESOEVER
  The possessive of whosoever. See Whosoever.
• CLASSIFIC
  Characterizing a class or classes; relating to classification.
• FORMALITY
  The dress prescribed for any body of men, academical, municipal, or sacerdotal. The doctors attending her in their formalities as far as Shotover. Fuller. 6. That which is formal; the formal part. It unties the inward knot of marriage, . . . while
• WATER-BEARER
  The constellation Aquarius.
• CLASSIFICATORY
  Pertaining to classification; admitting of classification. "A classificatory system." Earle.
• WATERWORT
  Any plant of the natural order Elatineæ, consisting of two genera , mostly small annual herbs growing in the edges of ponds. Some have a peppery or acrid taste.
• WATER SHREW
  Any one of several species of shrews having fringed feet and capable of swimming actively. The two common European species are the best known. The most common American water shrew, or marsh shrew , is rarely seen, owing to its nocturnal habits.
• UNITERABLE
  Not iterable; incapable of being repeated. "To play away an uniterable life." Sir T. Browne.
• CLASSICISM
  A classic idiom or expression; a classicalism. C. Kingsley.
• WATER-TIGHT
  So tight as to retain, or not to admit, water; not leaky.
• WATER RAT
  The water vole. See under Vole. The muskrat. The beaver rat. See under Beaver. 2. A thief on the water; a pirate.
• NEUTRALIZE
  To render inert or imperceptible the peculiar affinities of, as a chemical substance; to destroy the effect of; as, to neutralize an acid with a base. 3. To destroy the peculiar or opposite dispositions of; to reduce to a state of indifference
• WATER CRAKE
  The dipper. The spotted crake . See Illust. of Crake. The swamp hen, or crake, of Australia.
• BROWNBACK
  The dowitcher or red-breasted snipe. See Dowitcher.
• WATER DOG
  A dog accustomed to the water, or trained to retrieve waterfowl. Retrievers, waters spaniels, and Newfoundland dogs are so trained.
• WATER SAIL
  A small sail sometimes set under a studding sail or under a driver boom, and reaching nearly to the water.
• WATER CLOCK
  An instrument or machine serving to measure time by the fall, or flow, of a certain quantity of water; a clepsydra.
• CLASSIS
  An ecclesiastical body or judicat (more info) 1. A class or order; sort; kind. His opinion of that classis of men. Clarendon.
• FORMICARY
  The nest or dwelling of a swarm of ants; an ant-hill.
• TURNINGNESS
  The quality of turning; instability; tergiversation. Sir P. Sidney.
• OMNIFORMITY
  The condition or quality of having every form. Dr. H. More.
• INFORMITY
  Want of regular form; shapelessness.
• FALCIFORM
  Having the shape of a scithe or sickle; resembling a reaping hook; as, the falciform ligatment of the liver.
• DEFORMER
  One who deforms.
• RE-TURN
  To turn again.
• DIVERSIFORM
  Of a different form; of varied forms.
• CONTRADISTINGUISH
  To distinguish by a contrast of opposite qualities. These are our complex ideas of soul and body, as contradistinguished. Locke.
• VARIFORM
  Having different shapes or forms.
• PREFORM
  To form beforehand, or for special ends. "Their natures and preformed faculties. " Shak.
• RESINIFORM
  Having the form of resin.
• BIFORM
  Having two forms, bodies, or shapes. Croxall.
• VILLIFORM
  Having the form or appearance of villi; like close-set fibers, either hard or soft; as, the teeth of perch are villiform.
• INDISTINGUISHABLE
  Not distinguishable; not capable of being perceived, known, or discriminated as separate and distinct; hence, not capable of being perceived or known; as, in the distance the flagship was indisguishable; the two copies were indisguishable in form
• REFORMALIZE
  To affect reformation; to pretend to correctness.