Ash

Ash is the powdery residue left after something is burnt, and also the powdery material that volcanoes throw out from within. It is also the mineral component of an organic substance as assessed by the residue ash after it is burnt. However, the ashes are the remains of the human body obtained after cremation, or are the remains or ruins of something destroyed.

There is also a tree that is called ash. It derives its name from its silvery-gray bark and compound leaves. Ash forests are found in north temperate regions of the earth. It belongs to the genus Fraxinus, and the family Oleaceae. Several species of this tree are found of which the 'European ash' (Fraxinus excelsior) and the North American 'white ash' are particularly noteworthy.

Any of a number of trees that are unrelated to the ash, are also called ash trees in common parlance.

In Old English, ash is a runic letter. Runes were formed mainly by modifying Roman or Greek characters to suit carving, which were used both in writing and divination. It was so named from the worth of which it was the first letter.

The symbol Æ or æ is also called ash which were formerly being used in the Roman alphabet in place of the runic letter. It is now used chiefly as a phonetic symbol.