potash

noun

pot·​ash ˈpät-ˌash How to pronounce potash (audio)
1
: potassium carbonate especially from wood ashes
2
: potassium or a potassium compound especially as used in agriculture or industry

Examples of potash in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web That investment will transform it into one of the world’s largest potash mines, doubling annual production capacity to roughly 8.5 million metric tons, said Mike Henry, BHP’s chief executive. Rhiannon Hoyle, WSJ, 31 Oct. 2023 Cardiff’s earliest industry was a kelp works, built in 1912 to process seaweed for use as a food additive and also as potash, a key ingredient of gunpowder. San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Oct. 2023 India imports 25% of its requirement of urea, 90% in case of phosphates, either as raw material or finished fertilisers and 100% of potash. Mimansa Verma, Quartz, 7 Mar. 2022 His biggest export earner and taxpayer, a giant potash company, this month lost its only export route to foreign markets through a port in neighboring Lithuania, forcing it to turn to Russia for help. New York Times, 19 Feb. 2022 Demand for domestic sources of potash, which the United States considers a critical mineral, has spiked since the start of the war in Ukraine as sanctions and supply chain issues disrupted exports from Russia and Belarus — two of the world’s primary potash producers. The Salt Lake Tribune, 1 Aug. 2023 The disruption has already hampered the exports of commodities and inbound shipments of manufacturing materials, while fertilizer giant Nutrien Ltd. is curtailing production at a potash mine. BostonGlobe.com, 12 July 2023 Since the start of Russia’s invasion, potash prices have soared by 50 percent. New York Times, 8 May 2022 Lithium is also immensely more valuable than the potash fertilizer Compass has historically produced from the Great Salt Lake — $37,000 versus $1,700 per metric ton last year, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Leia Larsen, The Salt Lake Tribune, 11 Aug. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'potash.' 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

singular of pot ashes

First Known Use

1668, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of potash was in 1668

Dictionary Entries Near potash

Cite this Entry

“Potash.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/potash. Accessed 2 Dec. 2023.

Kids Definition

potash

noun
pot·​ash ˈpät-ˌash How to pronounce potash (audio)
: potassium or a potassium compound

Medical Definition

potash

noun
pot·​ash ˈpät-ˌash How to pronounce potash (audio)
1
a
: potassium carbonate especially from wood ashes
2
: potassium or a potassium compound especially as used in agriculture or industry

More from Merriam-Webster on potash

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