Caustic
Caustic , adjective
[Latin caustucs, Ge. {not transcribed}, from {not transcribed} to burn. Compare Calm, Ink.]
1.
Capable of destroying the texture of anything or eating away its substance by chemical action; burning; corrosive; searing.
2.
Severe; satirical; sharp; as, a caustic remark.
Collocations (5)
Caustic curve (Optics) , a curve to which the ray of light, reflected or refracted by another curve, are tangents, the reflecting or refracting curve and the luminous point being in one plane.
Caustic lime , See under Lime.
Caustic potash or Caustic soda (Chemistry) , the solid hydroxides potash, KOH, and soda, NaOH, or solutions of the same.
Caustic silver , nitrate of silver, lunar caustic.
Caustic surface (Optics) , a surface to which rays reflected or refracted by another surface are tangents. Caustic curves and surfaces are called catacaustic when formed by reflection, and diacaustic when formed by refraction.
Also: Caustical
Caustic , noun
[Latin causticum (sc. medicamentum). See Caustic, a.]
1.
Any substance or means which, applied to animal or other organic tissue, burns, corrodes, or destroys it by chemical action; an escharotic.
2.
(Optics) A caustic curve or caustic surface.