caustic
Part of speech: adj
noun
Morphological type: derivation
Topics: chemistry
computer-graphics
computing
engineering
mathematics
natural-sciences
optics
physical-sciences
physics
sciences
Etymology: From the Latin causticus (“burning”), from Ancient Greek καυστικός (kaustikós, “burning”), from καυστός (kaustós, “burnt”) + -ικός (-ikós).
Base: καυστός
Affixes: -ικός
Inflected forms:
form: more caustic
pos: adj
tags: comparative
form: most caustic
pos: adj
tags: superlative
form: caustics
pos: noun
tags: plural
Senses:
gloss: Capable of burning, corroding or destroying organic tissue.
pos: adj
gloss: Sharp, bitter, cutting, biting, and sarcastic in a scathing way.
pos: adj
tags: usually
examples: "How now!" said Scrooge, caustic and cold as ever.
The bargain was not concluded as easily as might have been expected though, for Scadder was caustic and ill-humoured, and cast much unnecessary opposition in the way
Madame Beck esteemed me learned and blue; Miss Fanshawe, caustic, ironic, and cynical
The Secretary and the Assistant-Secretaries would say little caustic things about him to the senior clerks, and seemed somewhat to begrudge him his new honours.
this set of worthies, who were only too prone to shut up their emotions with caustic words.
The humor of my proposition appealed more strongly to Miss Trevor than I had looked for, and from that time forward she became her old self again;[…]. Our table in the dining-room became again the abode of scintillating wit and caustic repartee, Farrar bracing up to his old standard, and the demand for seats in the vicinity rose to an animated competition.
though he came too late / To join the martyrs, there was still a place / Among the tempters for a caustic tongue / / To test the resolution of the young / With tales of the small failings of the great
gloss: Any substance or means which, applied to animal or other organic tissue, burns, corrodes, or destroys it by chemical action; an escharotic.
pos: noun
tags: countable
uncountable
examples: The association of the heavenly bodies with known metals and also with human organs and destinies goes back to ancient Chaldea, the land of astrologers. In Chaucer’s words: ‘The seven bodies eek, lo hear anon. Sol gold is, and Luna silver we declare; Mars yron, Mercurie is quyksilver; Saturnian leed; and Jubitur is tyn, and Venus coper, by my fathers kyn.’ […] Corresponding names were bestowed upon salts of these metals by the alchemists, and some of them have persisted down to the present day. Some examples are lunar caustic (silver nitrate); vitriol of Venus (copper sulphate); sugar of Saturn (lead acetate); and vitriol of Mars, or Martial vitriol (ferrous sulphate).
gloss: The envelope of reflected or refracted rays of light for a given surface or object.
pos: noun
tags: countable
uncountable
gloss: The envelope of reflected or refracted rays for a given curve.
pos: noun
tags: countable
uncountable
gloss: Caustic soda.
pos: noun
tags: informal
uncountable
Related words: cauterize
encaustic
holocaust
homocaust
hypocaust
ink
Derived words: catacaustic
caustic alkali
caustically
caustic ammonia
caustic barley
caustic curve
causticise
causticism
causticity
causticize
caustic lime
caustic marine alkali
causticness
caustic pencil
caustic potash
caustic soda
caustic sulphite caramel
caustic surface
caustic volatile alkali
caustic wood alkali
caustification
diacaustic
galvanocaustic
Indian caustic barley
noncaustic
postcaustic
common caustic
lunar caustic
Translations: