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lye
lye Canister of lye.

lye

chemical compound
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alkali
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CiteSeerX - Lye: High Performance Soap With Multi-Level Caching (Feb. 14, 2025)

lye, the alkaline liquor obtained by leaching wood ashes with water, commonly used for washing and in soapmaking; more generally, any strong alkaline solution or solid, such as sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide (see sodium; potassium).

This article was most recently revised and updated by Amy Tikkanen.