mordancy Definition

mordant
adj

1. Sharply sarcastic or critical; biting.

Thesaurus: caustic, sarcastic, acerbic, acid, biting, cutting, stringent, trenchant, scathing, stinging, venomous; Antonym: gentle, sparing.
2. chem.
Said of a substance: serving as a mordant.

noun

1. chem.
A chemical compound, usually a metallic oxide or salt, that is used to fix colour on textiles, etc that cannot be dyed directly.
2. A corrosive substance.

Derivative: mordancy
noun

Derivative: mordantly
adverb

Etymology: 15c; 14c, meaning ‘a device that bites': French, literally ‘biting', from Latin mordere to bite.