From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishalkalial‧ka‧li /ˈælkəlaɪ/ noun [countable, uncountable] HCa substance that forms a chemical salt when combined with an acid → acid
Examples from the Corpus
alkali• Amines can be prepared by heating and alkyl ammonium salt with an alkali.• When an acid and alkali react together the result is a salt and water.• A different alkali would have been used for the manufacture of later soda glasses.• Electron microprobe element maps show the distribution and quantity of alkali feldspar in the fine-grained groundmass of the altered basalts.• By 1880 he was recognized as an international authority on alkali manufacture.• This is consistent with glass technology at the time-the principal alkali used was also soda.• In 1895 he entered the alkali business.Origin alkali (1300-1400) Medieval Latin Arabic al-qili “the ashes (of a particular plant from which a type of alkali was obtained)” 