One of a class of caustic bases, such as soda, soda ash, caustic soda, potash, ammonia, and lithia, whose distinguishing peculiarities are solubility in alcohol and water, uniting with oils and fats to form soap, neutralizing and forming salts with acids, turning to brown several vegetable yellows, and changing reddened litmus to blue.
User Defined Definitions
"any of various water-soluble compounds capable of turning litmus blue and reacting with an acid to form a salt and water"
"a mixture of soluble salts found in arid soils and some bodies of water; detrimental to agriculture"