caustic
ADJECTIVE:
of chemicals, burning:
1. capable of burning, corroding, or destroying living tissue (by chemical action):
caustic soda.
2. causing a burning or stinging sensation.
3. capable of burning, corroding, dissolving, or eating away by chemical action.
4. capable of destroying or eating away by chemical action; corrosive:
The chemical was so caustic that it ate through the pipe.
of humor, speech:
1. severely critical or sarcastic:
a caustic remark.
2. sarcastic; cutting:
a caustic reply.
3. marked by incisive sarcasm:
a caustic film; review caustic humor.
in optics, of light (adjective):
1. of, relating to, or denoting light that is reflected or refracted by a curved surface.
2. of or relating to light emitted from a point source and reflected or refracted from a curved surface.
NOUN:
in chemistry, of chemicals (noun):
1. a caustic material, agent, or substance, esp an alkali.
2. a hydroxide of a light metal.
3. a substance that burns or destroys organic tissue by chemical action.
4. a strong corrosive alkali (such as sodium hydroxide).
in optics, of light (noun):
1. Also called "caustic surface," a surface that envelops the light rays reflected or refracted by a curved surface.
2. Also called "caustic curve," a curve formed by the intersection of a caustic surface with a plane.
3. the envelope of rays emanating from a point and reflected or refracted by a curved surface.
Synonyms:
acerb, acerbic, acid, acidic, acidulous, acrid, barbed, biting, bitter, corrosive, cutting, mordant, pungent, sarcastic, sardonic, satiric (or satirical), scalding, scathing, sharp, smart-aleck, smart-alecky, smart-mouthed, snarky, tart.
Synonym Study (Merriam-Webster):
Caustic, mordant, acrid, and scathing mean stingingly incisive.
Caustic suggests a biting wit:
caustic comments.
Mordant suggests a wit that is used with deadly effectiveness:
mordant reviews of the play.
Acrid implies bitterness and often malevolence:
acrid invective.
Scathing implies indignant attacks delivered with fierce severity:
a scathing satire.
Related Words:
abrasive, acerbic, pungent, biting, mordant, acid, pithy, scathing, incisive, trenchant, satiric, sharp, bitter, harsh, keen, astringent, tart, corroding, rough, cutting.
Origin:
1350–1400; Middle English < Latin causticus < Greek kaustikós burning, caustic, equivalent to kaust(ós) burnt (verbal adjective of kaíein to burn) + -ikos -ic. C14: from Latin causticus, from Greek kaustikos, from kaiein to burn. —Dictionary.com. // First Known Use of caustic: Adjective: 14th century. Noun: 15th century. History and Etymology for caustic: Adjective and Noun: Latin causticus, from Greek kaustikos, from kaiein to burn. —Merriam-Webster.
Sources: 1, 2.
Added: 18 June 2020 {2:23 PM}
of chemicals, burning:
1. capable of burning, corroding, or destroying living tissue (by chemical action):
caustic soda.
2. causing a burning or stinging sensation.
3. capable of burning, corroding, dissolving, or eating away by chemical action.
4. capable of destroying or eating away by chemical action; corrosive:
The chemical was so caustic that it ate through the pipe.
of humor, speech:
1. severely critical or sarcastic:
a caustic remark.
2. sarcastic; cutting:
a caustic reply.
3. marked by incisive sarcasm:
a caustic film; review caustic humor.
in optics, of light (adjective):
1. of, relating to, or denoting light that is reflected or refracted by a curved surface.
2. of or relating to light emitted from a point source and reflected or refracted from a curved surface.
NOUN:
in chemistry, of chemicals (noun):
1. a caustic material, agent, or substance, esp an alkali.
2. a hydroxide of a light metal.
3. a substance that burns or destroys organic tissue by chemical action.
4. a strong corrosive alkali (such as sodium hydroxide).
in optics, of light (noun):
1. Also called "caustic surface," a surface that envelops the light rays reflected or refracted by a curved surface.
2. Also called "caustic curve," a curve formed by the intersection of a caustic surface with a plane.
3. the envelope of rays emanating from a point and reflected or refracted by a curved surface.
Synonyms:
acerb, acerbic, acid, acidic, acidulous, acrid, barbed, biting, bitter, corrosive, cutting, mordant, pungent, sarcastic, sardonic, satiric (or satirical), scalding, scathing, sharp, smart-aleck, smart-alecky, smart-mouthed, snarky, tart.
Synonym Study (Merriam-Webster):
Caustic, mordant, acrid, and scathing mean stingingly incisive.
Caustic suggests a biting wit:
caustic comments.
Mordant suggests a wit that is used with deadly effectiveness:
mordant reviews of the play.
Acrid implies bitterness and often malevolence:
acrid invective.
Scathing implies indignant attacks delivered with fierce severity:
a scathing satire.
Related Words:
abrasive, acerbic, pungent, biting, mordant, acid, pithy, scathing, incisive, trenchant, satiric, sharp, bitter, harsh, keen, astringent, tart, corroding, rough, cutting.
Origin:
1350–1400; Middle English < Latin causticus < Greek kaustikós burning, caustic, equivalent to kaust(ós) burnt (verbal adjective of kaíein to burn) + -ikos -ic. C14: from Latin causticus, from Greek kaustikos, from kaiein to burn. —Dictionary.com. // First Known Use of caustic: Adjective: 14th century. Noun: 15th century. History and Etymology for caustic: Adjective and Noun: Latin causticus, from Greek kaustikos, from kaiein to burn. —Merriam-Webster.
Sources: 1, 2.
Added: 18 June 2020 {2:23 PM}