1
: a strong alkaline liquor rich in potassium carbonate leached from wood ashes and used especially in making soap and for washing
broadly : a strong alkaline solution (as of sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide)
2
: a solid caustic (such as sodium hydroxide)

Examples of lye in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web As Light can only shine but in the Eye, So Life doth only in a Motion lye. Merve Emre, The New Yorker, 29 Jan. 2024 As the bodies accumulated, one of the co-owners even suggested getting rid of them by digging a big hole and treating them with lye or setting them on fire, according to the texts. CBS News, 12 Jan. 2024 Yet that is exactly what a pretzel is, a snack whose deep brown shininess is usually achieved by a brief dip in water mixed with lye, aka sodium hydroxide. Bee Wilson, WSJ, 4 Nov. 2023 Cooks for generations didn't use soap on cast iron pans because the soaps were made with lye and vinegar, two ingredients that will absolutely strip seasoning and can even damange the pan's iron. Kimberly Holland, Southern Living, 12 Nov. 2023 The lye doesn’t seem to put consumers off, judging from the fact that the U.S. market for hard and soft pretzels combined was worth $1.6 billion in 2022, up 16% from the year before. Bee Wilson, WSJ, 4 Nov. 2023 Meanwhile, a group at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois has been working on breaking PFAS bonds into innocuous compounds that can naturally decompose, using low heat, a solvent, and sodium hydroxide, also known as lye, the basis of some soaps. Manasee Wagh, Popular Mechanics, 18 July 2023 The shop uses a mix of sourdough and traditional yeast leavening and boils the bagels in a lye solution, like pretzels, albeit slightly more diluted. The Bon Appétit Staff & Contributors, Bon Appétit, 27 June 2023 The operator watched as the intruder clicked into various software programs before landing on a function that controls the amount of sodium hydroxide, or lye, in the plant’s water system. Hayley Smith, Los Angeles Times, 8 May 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'lye.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English lēag; akin to Old High German louga lye, Latin lavare, lavere to wash, Greek louein

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of lye was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near lye

Cite this Entry

“Lye.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lye. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

lye

noun
1
: a strong alkaline liquid obtained from wood ashes and used especially in making soap and in washing
2
: any of various strong alkaline liquids
especially : sodium hydroxide
3
: a solid compound (as caustic soda) that causes chemical burns

Medical Definition

lye

noun
1
: a strong alkaline liquor rich in potassium carbonate leached from wood ashes and used especially in making soap and washing
broadly : a strong alkaline solution (as of sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide)
2
: a solid caustic (as sodium hydroxide)

More from Merriam-Webster on lye

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