alkali

C2+ Topic:Chemistry

Also spelled alcali

US /ˈælkəˌlaɪ/ UK /ˈælkəlaɪ/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

noun
a soluble base that neutralizes acids, turning litmus blue

Adding the alkali to the acidic solution brought its pH back toward neutral.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a soluble base that... base lyehydroxide

Opposites

acid

Word family

Derived forms alkalinealkalizealkalinityalkaloid

Related forms alkalinealkaloid

Simplified etymology

Alkali entered English in the late Middle English period from Arabic al-qali, meaning “soda” or “potash.”

Etymology

From Medieval Latin alkali, from Arabic al-qily ('the calcined ashes, potash'), from al- ('the') + qalā ('to fry, roast').

al-qily Arabic

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Chemistry General Vocabulary

External links

# alkali

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈælkəˌlaɪ/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈælkəlaɪ/

## Meanings
1. a soluble base that neutralizes acids, turning litmus blue

## Examples
- Adding the alkali to the acidic solution brought its pH back toward neutral.

## Synonyms
- base
- lye
- hydroxide

## Antonyms
- acid

## Derived Forms
- alkaline
- alkalize
- alkalinity
- alkaloid

## Related Forms
- alkaline
- alkaloid

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: al-qily

## Etymology
From Medieval Latin alkali, from Arabic al-qily ('the calcined ashes, potash'), from al- ('the') + qalā ('to fry, roast').

## AI Etymology
alkali comes from Medieval Latin alkali, from Arabic al-qily ('the calcined ashes, potash'), from al- ('the') + qalā ('to fry, roast'). Morphologically, the word is transparent as a compound: its parts remain visible in the modern spelling, while the older history of those parts supplies the deeper ancestry. In modern use, the noun sense is "a soluble base that neutralizes acids, turning litmus blue", which keeps the etymology connected to the word's present dictionary value rather than treating it as a merely historical label. The wider word family includes related English forms such as alkaline, alkaloid and derivatives such as alkaline, alkalize, alkalinity, alkaloid, showing how the same base continues to support neighboring English vocabulary. The principal historical forms in the chain include Arabic al-qily, which anchor the explanation in named linguistic material.

## Topics
- Chemistry
- General Vocabulary

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