noun
- a solution obtained by leaching or filtering water through wood ashes or other alkaline material, historically used in soap-making and bleaching
Usage: archaic; chemistry/historical
Examples
- Medieval soap makers relied on lixivium extracted from wood ashes.
- The lixivium was filtered carefully to remove solid particles before use.
- Lixivium served as a crucial ingredient in the textile bleaching process.
- Chemists of the 17th century studied the properties of lixivium to understand alkaline solutions.