noun

• (chemistry) The nonaqueous remains of a material subjected to any complete oxidation process.
• (in the plural) Human (or animal) remains after cremation.
  "The urn containing his ashes was eventually removed to a closet."
• (archaic, in the plural) Mortal remains in general.
  "Napoleon’s ashes are not yet extinguished, and we’re breathing in their sparks."
• (figuratively) What remains after a catastrophe.
  "Now, it's Haiti that needs help to rebuild and rise from the ashes [of an earthquake]."

verb

• (ambitransitive, chemistry) To reduce to a residue of ash. See ashing.
  "I dried the extracted leather very slowly on the steam bath […] until the substance was dry enough to ash. […] I think that the discrepancy in the percentages of "total ash" by method No. 2 and No. 6 is due to this excessive heat required to ash the leather […]"
• (ambitransitive) To hit the end off (a burning cigar or cigarette).
  ""Nonsense," Mrs. Gardiner challenged, ashing her cigarette."
• (transitive, Christianity, chiefly passive voice) To mark (someone) with an ashen cross on the forehead to observe Ash Wednesday.
• (obsolete, chiefly passive voice) To cover newly-sown fields of crops with ashes.
  "Last spring, after I planted, I took what ashes I have saved during the last year, and put on my corn […] . On harvesting I cut up the two rows which were not ashed (or twenty rods of them,) and set them apart from the others in stouts; and then I cut up two rows of the same length, on each side, which had been ashed, […]"

noun

• (countable, uncountable) A shade tree of the genus Fraxinus.
  "The ash trees are dying off due to emerald ash borer."
• (countable, uncountable) Any tree of certain species of other genera.
• (uncountable) The wood of this tree.

adv

• (Internet slang, text messaging) Abbreviation of as hell or as heck.