Emily Dickinson Lexicon

AL'KA-LI, n. [plur. Alkalies. Ar. قلي kali, with the common prefix, the plant called glass wort, from its use in the manufacture of glass; or the ashes of the plant, which seems to be its primitive sense, for the verb signifies to fry.]

A salifiable base, having in a greater or less degree a peculiar acrid taste, the power of changing blue vegetable colors to a green, and the color of turmeric and rhubarb, to a brown. Some chimists comprehend all salifiable bases under this name.