leach

To flow slowly out of something or into something through small spaces.

• Chemicals leached into the river.
• Dye slowly leaches out of the fabric.
• Toxic liquid may leach from the buried waste.

How to use it: leach into something (Chemicals leached into the nearby stream.); leach out of something (A dark liquid leached out of the waste.)

Similar words: seep, leak, bleed

Common phrases: leach into water, leach out, leach from something

To remove a substance from something by passing liquid through it.

• Rain leaches nutrients from soil.
• The process leached copper from the rock.
• Can this liquid leach out harmful chemicals?

How to use it: leach something from something (Rain can leach nutrients from the soil.); leach something out of something (The liquid leaches metals out of the crushed rock.)

Similar words: extract, wash out

Common phrases: leach out minerals, leach nutrients, leach something from something

To lose substances that dissolve as liquid passes through.

• Sandy soils leach easily.
• The crushed ore was leached to recover copper.
• The soil had leached badly after weeks of rain.

Common phrases: leach under rainfall, leach in water, leach readily

A pile of wood ash through which water is passed to make a strong cleaning liquid.

• She poured water over the leach.
• The leach supplied liquid for making soap.
• They prepared a fresh leach from wood ashes.

Common phrases: a leach of ashes, prepare a leach

A tub used to pass water through ash or bark and collect substances dissolved in it.

• They filled the leach with ashes.
• Water drained from the bottom of the leach.
• The old workshop had two wooden leaches.

Similar words: leaching vat

Common phrases: a wooden leach, fill the leach

A firm, jelly-like sweet food eaten in medieval times.

• The cook served leach after dinner.
• She made leach from a medieval recipe.
• Guests ate slices of leach at the feast.

Common phrases: sweet leach, a slice of leach, serve the leach