a white deliquescent alkaline solid used in the manufacture of soap, liquid shampoos, and detergents. Formula: KOH
See also lye
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025
potas′sium hydrox′ide, [Chem.]
- Chemistrya white, deliquescent, water-soluble solid, KOH, usually in the form of lumps, sticks, or pellets, that upon solution in water generates heat: used chiefly in the manufacture of soap, as a laboratory reagent, and as a caustic. Also called caustic potash, potas′sium hy′drate.
- 1880–85
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
'potassium hydroxide' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
Nessler's reagent
- acid number
- caustic potash
- green soap
- lye
- potash
- saponification number
- soap
- soft soap