1. [n]  any of various deciduous pinnate-leaved ornamental or timber trees of the genus Fraxinus
2. [n]  strong elastic wood of any of various ash trees; used for furniture and tool handles and sporting goods such as baseball bats
3. [n]  the residue that remains when something is burned
4. [v]  convert into ashes

Ash
An American woman teaching English in Japan is able to accept and understand a grievous childhood loss when she participates in a local festival of the dead.

more details ...

1. \Ash\ ([a^]sh), n. [OE. asch, esh, AS. [ae]sc; akin to OHG.
   asc, Sw. & Dan. ask, Icel. askr, D. esch, G. esche.]
   1. (Bot.) A genus of trees of the Olive family, having
      opposite pinnate leaves, many of the species furnishing
      valuable timber, as the European ash ({Fraxinus
      excelsior}) and the white ash ({F. Americana}).
   {Prickly ash} ({Zanthoxylum Americanum}) and {Poison ash}
      ({Rhus venenata}) are shrubs of different families,
      somewhat resembling the true ashes in their foliage.
   {Mountain ash}. See {Roman tree}, and under {Mountain}.
   2. The tough, elastic wood of the ash tree.
   Note: Ash is used adjectively, or as the first part of a
         compound term; as, ash bud, ash wood, ash tree, etc.
   

2. \Ash\, n.,
   sing. of {Ashes}.
   Note: Ash is rarely used in the singular except in connection
         with chemical or geological products; as, soda ash,
         coal which yields a red ash, etc., or as a qualifying
         or combining word; as, ash bin, ash heap, ash hole, ash
         pan, ash pit, ash-grey, ash-colored, pearlash, potash.
   {Bone ash}, burnt powered; bone earth.
   {Volcanic ash}. See under {Ashes}.
   

3. \Ash\, v. t.
   To strew or sprinkle with ashes. --Howell.
   

A Bourne Shell clone by Kenneth Almquist. It works pretty well. For running scripts, it is sometimes better and sometimes worse than Bash.

Ash runs under 386BSD, NetBSD, FreeBSD, and Linux.

FTP Linux version.

(Heb. o'ren, "tremulous"), mentioned only Isa. 44:14 (R.V., "fir tree"). It is rendered "pine tree" both in the LXX. and Vulgate versions. There is a tree called by the Arabs _aran_, found still in the valleys of Arabia Petraea, whose leaf resembles that of the mountain ash. This may be the tree meant. Our ash tree is not known in Syria.