Adjacent Words

Caustic definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

CAUSTIC,
CAUSTICAL, a. Burning; corroding; destroying the texture of animal flesh.
CAUSTIC, n. In medicine, any substance which applied to living animals, acts like fire, in corroding the part and dissolving its texture; an escharotic. [See Causticity.]
Lunar caustic, a preparation of crystals of silver, obtained by solution in nitric acid, and afterwards fused in a crucible. It is a nitrate of silver.
Caustic curve, in geometry, a curve formed by a coincidence of rays of light reflected from another curve.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: harsh or corrosive in tone; "an acerbic tone piercing otherwise flowery prose"; "a barrage of acid comments"; "her acrid remarks make her many enemies"; "bitter words"; "blistering criticism"; "caustic jokes about political assassination, talk-show hosts and medical ethics"; "a sulfurous denunciation"; "a vitriolic critique" [syn: acerb, acerbic, acid, acrid, bitter, blistering, caustic, sulfurous, sulphurous, virulent, vitriolic]
2: of a substance, especially a strong acid; capable of destroying or eating away by chemical action [syn: caustic, corrosive, erosive, vitriolic, mordant] n
1: any chemical substance that burns or destroys living tissue

Merriam Webster's

I. adjective Etymology: Latin causticus, from Greek kaustikos, from kaiein to burn Date: 14th century 1. capable of destroying or eating away by chemical action ; corrosive 2. marked by incisive sarcasm 3. relating to or being the surface or curve of a caustic • caustically adverb • causticity noun Synonyms: caustic, mordant, acrid, 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>. II. noun Date: 15th century 1. a caustic agent: as a. a substance that burns or destroys organic tissue by chemical action b. sodium hydroxide 2. the envelope of rays emanating from a point and reflected or refracted by a curved surface

Oxford Reference Dictionary

adj. & n. --adj. 1 that burns or corrodes organic tissue. 2 sarcastic, biting. 3 Chem. strongly alkaline. 4 Physics formed by the intersection of reflected or refracted parallel rays from a curved surface. --n. 1 a caustic substance. 2 Physics a caustic surface or curve. Phrases and idioms: caustic potash potassium hydroxide. caustic soda sodium hydroxide. Derivatives: caustically adv. causticity n. Etymology: L causticus f. Gk kaustikos f. kaustos burnt f. kaio burn

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Caustic Caus"tic, Caustical Caus"tic*al, a. [L. caustucs, Ge. ?, fr. ? to burn. Cf. Calm, Ink.] 1. Capable of destroying the texture of anything or eating away its substance by chemical action; burning; corrosive; searing. 2. Severe; satirical; sharp; as, a caustic remark. Caustic curve (Optics), a curve to which the ray of light, reflected or refracted by another curve, are tangents, the reflecting or refracting curve and the luminous point being in one plane. Caustic lime. See under Lime. Caustic potash, Caustic soda (Chem.), the solid hydroxides potash, KOH, and soda, NaOH, or solutions of the same. Caustic silver, nitrate of silver, lunar caustic. Caustic surface (Optics), a surface to which rays reflected or refracted by another surface are tangents. Caustic curves and surfaces are called catacaustic when formed by reflection, and diacaustic when formed by refraction. Syn: Stinging; cutting; pungent; searching.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Caustic Cau"stic, n. [L. causticum (sc. medicamentum). See Caustic, a.] 1. Any substance or means which, applied to animal or other organic tissue, burns, corrodes, or destroys it by chemical action; an escharotic. 2. (Optics) A caustic curve or caustic surface.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

1. Caustic chemical substances are very powerful and can dissolve other substances. ...caustic cleaning agents... Remember that this is caustic; use gloves or a spoon. = corrosive ADJ 2. A caustic remark is extremely critical, cruel, or bitter. (FORMAL) His abrasive wit and caustic comments were an interviewer's nightmare... = bitter, acid ADJ

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. n. Catheretic, mordent, erosive. II. a. 1. Erosive, mordent, corrosive, corroding, catheretic, consuming, acrid, virulent, eating. 2. Burning, scalding, scathing, stinging, biting, sharp, cutting, bitter, severe, sarcastic, satirical.

Moby Thesaurus

Rabelaisian, acerb, acerbate, acerbic, acid, acidic, acidulent, acidulous, acrid, acrimonious, actual cautery, acute, amaroidal, angry, antagonistic, antipathetic, arc, asperous, astringent, belligerent, biting, bitter, bitter as gall, bow, brand, brand iron, branding iron, brisk, burning, catacaustic, catenary, cauter, cauterant, cauterizer, cautery, choleric, circle, clashing, coarse, colliding, conchoid, conflicting, corroding, corrosive, crisp, critical, crook, curl, curve, cutting, cynical, despiteful, destructive, diacaustic, discontented, double-edged, dry, edged, electrocautery, ellipse, embittered, escharotic, feeling evil, festoon, fierce, full of hate, hard, harsh, hateful, hook, hostile, hot iron, hyperbola, incisive, ironic, irritating, keen, lituus, lunar caustic, malevolent, malicious, malignant, mordacious, mordant, moxa, nose-tickling, out of humor, out of sorts, out of temper, parabola, penetrating, piercing, piquant, pithy, poignant, potential cautery, pungent, quarrelsome, radium, rancorous, rankled, repugnant, resentful, resenting, rigorous, rough, salty, sarcastic, sardonic, satiric, scathing, scorching, set against, severe, sharp, sinus, sore, sour, spiteful, splenetic, stabbing, stewing, stinging, strident, stringent, succinct, tart, terse, tracery, trenchant, vehement, venomous, violent, virulent, vitriolic, withering