Synonyms/Hypernyms (Ordered by Estimated Frequency) of noun alkali

2 senses of alkali

Sense 1
base, alkali -- (any of various water-soluble compounds capable of turning litmus blue and reacting with an acid to form a salt and water; "bases include oxides and hydroxides of metals and ammonia")
       => compound, chemical compound -- ((chemistry) a substance formed by chemical union of two or more elements or ingredients in definite proportion by weight)

Sense 2
alkali -- (a mixture of soluble salts found in arid soils and some bodies of water; detrimental to agriculture)
       => salt -- (a compound formed by replacing hydrogen in an acid by a metal (or a radical that acts like a metal))