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MORDANT
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
A substance used to treat leather or other materials before dyeing; aids in dyeing process
Classified under:
Hypernyms ("mordant" is a kind of...):
color; coloring material; colour; colouring material (any material used for its color)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "mordant"):
chrome alum (a violet-colored salt used in hide tanning and as a mordant in dyeing)
antimony potassium tartrate; tartar emetic (a poisonous colorless salt used as a mordant and in medicine)
sodium bichromate; sodium dichromate (a red-orange salt used as a mordant)
Derivation:
mordant (of a substance, especially a strong acid; capable of destroying or eating away by chemical action)
II. (adjective)
Sense 1
Meaning:
Of a substance, especially a strong acid; capable of destroying or eating away by chemical action
Synonyms:
caustic; corrosive; erosive; mordant; vitriolic
Classified under:
Similar:
destructive (causing destruction or much damage)
Derivation:
mordant (a substance used to treat leather or other materials before dyeing; aids in dyeing process)
Sense 2
Meaning:
Harshly ironic or sinister
Example:
fun ranging from slapstick clowning ... to savage mordant wit
Synonyms:
Classified under:
Similar:
sarcastic (expressing or expressive of ridicule that wounds)
III. (verb)
Sense 1
Present simple (first person singular and plural, second person singular and plural, third person plural) of the verb mordant
