A rock is, of course, a large mass of stone that forms a hill or a cliff or a piece of stone. Colloquially, a gemstone, especially a diamond, is also called a rock. As a verb, unrelatedly, to rock means ‘to move gently from side to side’ and also ‘to shake violently.’ It is also a synonym for shake, in the sense of being moved by great emotion. As a noun, rock is not only a rocking movement but also…
To hatch means ‘to break out from an egg,’ as birds do when they are born, ‘to cause to emerge from an egg,’ as birds do by sitting on their eggs to keep them warm until they hatch, and, when we are talking about the egg, ‘to break open to let the baby birds out.’ Figuratively, it also means ‘to plan or bring something forth.’ Unrelatedly, the noun hatch is an opening in a…
Ash is the gray or black powder that remains after a fire and the color that resembles it as well. When volcanos erupt, they throw out pulverized lava and that is also ash. Ashes, always in the plural, are the remains or ruins of something destroyed, usually used figuratively, and also, literally, the mortal remains of a cremated body. Unrelatedly, an ash is any of various trees of…
