noun
lye
leye
noun
1
A strongly alkaline substance, traditionally made by soaking wood ash in water, used for cleaning or making soap.
"Pioneers made their own soap by boiling fat with lye."
"Lye is powerful enough to unclog drains, but it will burn skin on contact."
How to Use Lye
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA caustic alkaline chemical (like sodium hydroxide) used in cleaning products and soap-making.
Common mistake
Handle with care in real life — lye is corrosive and can cause chemical burns; this is a purely factual note, not medical advice.
Common pairings
caustic lye
lye soap
a solution of lye
Word Forms
lyed past tense, lyes plural, lyes singular
Study it as flashcards or scroll it in Flow — saved to your collection.
Test yourself on “lye”
A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage
→
Fill the Gap
Can you complete this real example?
Pioneers made their own soap by boiling fat with _____.
Etymology
From Old English leah/leag, ultimately from a Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to wash".