- a variation of mordent.
mordant
Americanadjective
noun
-
a substance used in dyeing to fix the coloring matter, especially a metallic compound, as an oxide or hydroxide, that combines with the organic dye and forms an insoluble colored compound or lake in the fiber.
-
an adhesive substance for binding gold or silver leaf to a surface.
-
an acid or other corrosive substance used in etching to eat out the lines, areas, etc.
-
Music. mordent.
verb (used with object)
-
mordants,
present (3rd person singular)
-
mordanted,
past participle, past
-
mordanting
present participle
adjective
-
sarcastic or caustic
-
having the properties of a mordant
-
pungent
noun
-
a substance used before the application of a dye, possessing the ability to fix colours in textiles, leather, etc See also lake 2
-
an acid or other corrosive fluid used to etch lines on a printing plate
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
mordantsimple
-
mordantssimple
-
have mordantedperfect
-
has mordantedperfect
-
am mordantingprogressive
-
are mordantingprogressive
-
is mordantingprogressive
-
have been mordantingperfect progressive
-
has been mordantingperfect progressive
Past
-
mordantedsimple
-
had mordantedperfect
-
was mordantingprogressive
-
were mordantingprogressive
-
had been mordantingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of mordant
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English, from Middle French, present participle of mordre “to bite,” ultimately derived from Latin mordēre; see -ant
Explanation
If you like Edgar Allan Poe and The Addams Family, you have a taste for mordant entertainment — that is, anything particularly grim or dark in nature. The original meaning of mordant (which comes from the Latin word mordere meaning "to bite or sting,") was that of a physical substance that literally bit into something, such as the one used to set dye into fabrics, or etch lines into a copper plate. Now, mordant generally refers to a dark or biting artistic style, sense of humor, or psychological outlook.
Vocabulary lists containing mordant
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
The New SAT: Words to Capture Tone
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
The SAT: Words to Capture Tone, List 8
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Soon the mordant Janice is chuckling to herself: “Now we’ve got ourselves a potboiler. A cheating husband. A mistress. A betrayed spouse.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026
That mordant humor, however enjoyable, tiptoes around the unanswerable question of how, or even whether, we can tell the difference between cosplay and the real thing.
From Salon ● Jun. 7, 2026
What defines him instead are various quips, mordant jokes and accounts of bizarre behavior, many no doubt apocryphal, recorded by his admirers and detractors in the centuries after his death.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 17, 2025
Martinez scatters ceramic roses across the painting, a mordant honorific to past glory and current hopes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2025
The dwarf had been whetting the edge of his axe and making some mordant jest when Bronn spotted the banner the riders carried before them, the moon-and-falcon of House Arryn, sky-blue and white.
From "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin
Options already exist for fixing dyes without lead, including natural mordants derived from plants rich in tannins, such as oak bark, pomegranate peel and rosemary, as well as alum, which is considered environmentally safe.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 2, 2026
“And the mordants too. You must learn those. Sometimes sumac. Tree galls are good. Some lichens. “Best is — here, come; let me show you.
From "Gathering Blue" by Lois Lowry
Saddening, sad′n-ing, n. a method of applying mordants in dyeing and printing cloths, so as to give duller shades to the colours employed.
From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 4 of 4: S-Z and supplements) by Various
Its general effect is to give brighter, clearer and faster colours than the other mordants.
From Vegetable Dyes Being a Book of Recipes and Other Information Useful to the Dyer by Ethel M. Mairet
In combination with ordinary mordants, tannic acid aids the attraction of the colouring matter to the fibre and adds brilliancy to the colours.
From Vegetable Dyes Being a Book of Recipes and Other Information Useful to the Dyer by Ethel M. Mairet
With silk and wool it gives a brighter colour if mordanted with alum or tin.
From Vegetable Dyes Being a Book of Recipes and Other Information Useful to the Dyer by Ethel M. Mairet
Wool mordanted with 4 per cent of ferrous sulphate and 10 per cent tartar and dyed in a separate bath with weld with 8 per cent chalk, takes a good olive yellow.
From Vegetable Dyes Being a Book of Recipes and Other Information Useful to the Dyer by Ethel M. Mairet
Wool mordanted with chrome should not be exposed to light, but should be kept well covered with the liquid while being mordanted, else it is liable to dye unevenly.
From Vegetable Dyes Being a Book of Recipes and Other Information Useful to the Dyer by Ethel M. Mairet
During this operation the wool at first attracts chromic acid, which is gradually reduced to chromium chromate, so that the mordanted fibre has finally a pale olive-yellow tint.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 8, Slice 8 "Dubner" to "Dyeing" by Various
It forms brown crystals which are readily soluble in hot water, and it dyes mordanted cotton a dark brown.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 3, Part 1, Slice 1 "Austria, Lower" to "Bacon" by Various
In some cases the cotton is passed through alternate baths containing, on one hand, the mordanting salt, e.g., alum, copperas, etc., and, on the other, a fixing agent, such as soda or phosphate of soda.
From The Dyeing of Cotton Fabrics A Practical Handbook for the Dyer and Student by Franklin Beech
Example of mordanting with alum—1/4 lb. of Alum and 1 oz. cream of tartar for every pound of wool.
From Vegetable Dyes Being a Book of Recipes and Other Information Useful to the Dyer by Ethel M. Mairet
Greys may be obtained with 1 to 5 per cent of logwood after mordanting in a weak solution of iron.
From Vegetable Dyes Being a Book of Recipes and Other Information Useful to the Dyer by Ethel M. Mairet
Another method of mordanting cotton is to fix the metallic salt on the fibre as a tannate instead of an oleate.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 8, Slice 8 "Dubner" to "Dyeing" by Various
The wool is first dyed in the blue vat; then washed and dried; then after mordanting, dyed in the yellow bath.
From Vegetable Dyes Being a Book of Recipes and Other Information Useful to the Dyer by Ethel M. Mairet
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
