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caustic

[ kaw-stik ]
/ ˈkɔ stɪk /
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See synonyms for: caustic / caustically / causticity / causticness on Thesaurus.com
adjective
capable of burning, corroding, or destroying living tissue.
severely critical or sarcastic: a caustic remark.
noun
a caustic substance.
Optics.
  1. caustic curve.
  2. caustic surface.
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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

OTHER WORDS FROM caustic

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

Words related to caustic

abrasive, acerbic, acid, biting, mordant, pungent, bitter, harsh, incisive, pithy, satiric, scathing, sharp, stinging, trenchant, astringent, corroding, keen, tart, cutting

How to use caustic in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for caustic

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

Derived forms of caustic

caustical, adjectivecaustically, adverbcausticity (kɔːˈstɪsɪtɪ) or causticness, noun

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 Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medical definitions for caustic

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 Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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