white ash

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable or uncountablespecialist

   A large North American hardwood tree with compound leaves and winged seeds, valued for its strong timber.

   Grammar: Countable for the tree: a white ash in the yard; uncountable for the wood: a bat made of white ash.

   Patterns

   • a stand of white ash

   A tall white ash shaded the entire front lawn.

   Forest managers are trying to protect each white ash from the beetle.

   The hikers rested beneath a white ash with silvery bark.

2. 2noununcountablespecialist

   The light, strong, flexible wood of this tree, used for tool handles, furniture and baseball bats.

   Grammar: Uncountable when naming the timber: a table of white ash.

   Patterns

   • made of white ash
   • handles of white ash

   The hammer has a handle of white ash.

   White ash is a favorite for baseball bats because of its strength.

   The carpenter built the frame of white ash and left it unstained.

3. 3noununcountable

   Pale powder left after something has burned, as in the white ash of a cigarette, wood fire or coal.

   Grammar: Free combination of white and ash, not a fixed term; used with no article.

   Patterns

   • white ash from something

   White ash covered the logs in the morning.

   Wind blew white ash across the campsite.

   He tapped the white ash from his pipe.

Word forms

Common combinations

white ash tree

The white ash tree turns purple in autumn.

white ash lumber

The shop sells white ash lumber for furniture.

white ash flooring

They chose white ash flooring for its pale grain.

white ash borer

The emerald white ash borer has destroyed millions of trees.

white ash handle

A white ash handle absorbs the shock of each swing.

Synonyms and how they differ

American ash

American ash is another name for the same tree, but it is less common than white ash.

Fraxinus americana

Fraxinus americana is the scientific name used in botany, while white ash is the everyday name.

ash

Ash alone can mean any tree of the genus or the burnt residue, so white ash is more specific.

Word family

ash noun

a tree of the genus Fraxinus

ashen adjective

pale like ash; very pale in the face

ashes noun

remains of something burned

ashy adjective

covered with ash, or pale grey

Commonly confused: white ash or mountain ash? white ash or ash (residue)?

Practice

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