Ash
/æʃ/noun
The powdery residue left after something burns, or the grayish wood of an ash tree.
Did you know?The English word comes from a very old Germanic root, and the same ancient sound also gave us the name of the ash tree, which was once linked in folklore to protection, weapons, and world-myth symbolism.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*h₂eHs-
“to burn, glow, or be hot”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*askaz
“ash tree”
Old English
OE
æsce
“ash, cinders; also ash tree”
Old Norse
ON
aska
“ashes”
Middle English
ME
asche
“ashes; residue from burning”
Modern English
English
ash
“the gray powder left after burning; the ash tree”