mordant

American  

[mawr-dnt] / ˈmɔr dnt /

adjective

1. sharply caustic or sarcastic, as wit or a speaker; biting.

   Synonyms:

   scathing, acerbic, cutting

2. burning; corrosive.

3. having the property of fixing colors, as in dyeing.

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noun

1. 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.

2. an adhesive substance for binding gold or silver leaf to a surface.

3. an acid or other corrosive substance used in etching to eat out the lines, areas, etc.

4. Music. mordent.

verb (used with object)

1. to impregnate or treat with a mordant.

mordant British  

/ ˈmɔːdənt /

adjective

1. sarcastic or caustic

2. having the properties of a mordant

3. pungent

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noun

1. a substance used before the application of a dye, possessing the ability to fix colours in textiles, leather, etc See also lake 2

2. an acid or other corrosive fluid used to etch lines on a printing plate

verb

1. (tr) to treat (a fabric, yarn, etc) with a mordant

Other Word Forms

• mordancy noun
• mordantly adverb
• unmordant adjective
• unmordantly adverb

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; -ant

Example Sentences

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

The fascinated Kayleen, clearly outclassed in the first round of the ailment and injury competition that forms the mordant spine of the play, asks to see and touch Doug’s wound.

From The Wall Street Journal

The steady-paced, often mordantly funny “Pick a Color” explores the immigrant experience, the long tail of trauma, the indignities suffered by low-wage workers and their companion emotions: loneliness, loss and grief.

From The Wall Street Journal

Via a wild final act, the nihilistic streak seen in many of Mr. Lanthimos’s previous movies emerges again, this time in an especially mordant way.

From The Wall Street Journal

Stamina is what’s required of those born into an earthly reality, for which, to quote mordant Beckett, there is no cure.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• acerbic
• biting
• caustic
• sardonic
• scathing