a sodium salt of carbonic acid; used in making soap powders and glass and paper
"The industrial chemist carefully weighed out the soda to ensure the correct chemical balance for the new batch of glass."
a sweet drink containing carbonated water and flavoring
"in New England they call sodas tonics"
Sodium bicarbonate (usually baking soda).
"She added a teaspoon of soda to the dough to help it rise."
In plain English: Soda is carbonated water flavored with syrup and sweetened for drinking.
"I opened my soda to get rid of my thirst after running in the heat."
Usage: In everyday conversation, people often use "soda" to refer to carbonated soft drinks rather than sodium bicarbonate. When discussing cooking or cleaning ingredients specifically, it is clearer to say "baking soda" instead of the ambiguous term "soda."
A surname, from Japanese.
"The local community center hosted a family reunion where many attendees shared stories about their ancestors bearing the rare Japanese surname Soda."
From Italian soda. Sense 4 is an ellipsis of soda water.