[ˈalkəlʌɪ], (Noun)

Definitions:
- a compound with particular chemical properties including turning litmus blue and neutralizing or effervescing with acids; typically, a caustic or corrosive substance of this kind such as lime or soda
(e.g: flint is not subject to chemical weathering except by strong alkalis)


Phrases:

Origin:
late Middle English (denoting a saline substance derived from the ashes of various plants, including glasswort): from medieval Latin, from Arabic al-qalī ‘calcined ashes (of the glasswort etc.)’, from qalā ‘fry, roast’