mordantly

mor·dant

 (môr′dnt)

adj.

1.

a. Bitingly sarcastic: mordant satire.

b. Incisive and trenchant: an inquisitor's mordant questioning.

2. Bitingly painful.

3. Serving to fix colors in dyeing.

n.

1. A reagent, such as tannic acid, that fixes dyes to cells, tissues, or textiles or other materials.

2. A corrosive substance, such as an acid, used in etching.

tr.v. mor·dant·ed, mor·dant·ing, mor·dants

To treat with a mordant.

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[French, from Old French, present participle of mordre, to bite, from Vulgar Latin *mordere, from Latin mordēre; see mer- in Indo-European roots.]

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mor′dan·cy n.

mor′dant·ly adv.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.