English Explanatory Dictionary

caustic

English dictionary entry

Meanings

adj
  1. Capable of burning, corroding or destroying organic tissue.
  2. Sharp, bitter, cutting, biting, and sarcastic in a scathing way.
noun
  1. Any substance or means which, applied to animal or other organic tissue, burns, corrodes, or destroys it by chemical action; an escharotic.
  2. The envelope of reflected or refracted rays of light for a given surface or object.
  3. The envelope of reflected or refracted rays for a given curve.
  4. Caustic soda.

Pronunciation

kôs'tĭk kŏs'tĭk /ˈkɔːstɪk/ /ˈkɒstɪk/ en-us-caustic.ogg

Word forms

caustic more caustic most caustic caustics

Etymology

From the Latin causticus (“burning”), from Ancient Greek καυστικός (kaustikós, “burning”), from καυστός (kaustós, “burnt”) + -ικός (-ikós).

Synonyms

acidic biting burning corrosive searing bitchy catty mordacious nasty sarcastic scathing sharp spiteful vitriolic pungent

Related words

cauterize encaustic holocaust homocaust hypocaust ink

Derived words

catacaustic caustic alkali caustically caustic ammonia caustic barley caustic curve causticise causticism causticity causticize caustic lime causticness caustic pencil caustic potash caustic soda caustic sulphite caramel caustic surface caustic volatile alkali caustification diacaustic galvanocaustic Indian caustic barley noncaustic postcaustic common caustic lunar caustic
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