caustic
[ kaw-stik ]
/ ˈkɔ stɪk /
adjective
capable of burning, corroding, or destroying living tissue.
severely critical or sarcastic: a caustic remark.
noun
a caustic substance.
Optics.
RELATED WORDS
Nearby words
- causerie,
- causeuse,
- causeway,
- causey,
- causist,
- caustic alcohol,
- caustic baryta,
- caustic curve,
- caustic lime,
- caustic potash
Origin of caustic
1350–1400; Middle English < Latin causticus < Greek kaustikós burning, caustic, equivalent to kaust(ós) burnt (verbal adjective of kaíein to burn) + -ikos -ic
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for caustically
caustic
/ (ˈkɔːstɪk) /
adjective
capable of burning or corroding by chemical actioncaustic soda
sarcastic; cuttinga caustic reply
of, relating to, or denoting light that is reflected or refracted by a curved surface
noun
Also called: caustic surface a surface that envelops the light rays reflected or refracted by a curved surface
Also called: caustic curve a curve formed by the intersection of a caustic surface with a plane
chem a caustic substance, esp an alkali
Word Origin for caustic
C14: from Latin causticus, from Greek kaustikos, from kaiein to burn
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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caustic
c.1400, "burning, corrosive," from Latin causticus "burning, caustic," from Greek kaustikos "capable of burning; corrosive," from kaustos "combustible; burnt," verbal adjective from kaiein, the Greek word for "to burn" (transitive and intransitive) in all periods, of uncertain origin with no certain cognates outside Greek. Figurative sense of "sarcastic" is attested from 1771. As a noun, early 15c., from the adjective.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
caustic
[ kô′stĭk ]
n.
A hydroxide of a light metal.
A caustic material or substance.
adj.
Capable of burning, corroding, dissolving, or eating away by chemical action.
Of or relating to light emitted from a point source and reflected or refracted from a curved surface.
Causing a burning or stinging sensation.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
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