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caustic

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caustic

 

  3  definitions  found 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Caustic  \Caus"tic\,  Caustical  \Caus"tic*al\,  a.  [L.  caustucs 
  Ge  ?,  fr  ?  to  burn.  Cf  {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. 
 
  {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},  {Caustic  soda}  (Chem.),  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. 
 
  Syn:  Stinging;  cutting;  pungent;  searching. 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Caustic  \Cau"stic\,  n.  [L.  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. 
 
  From  WordNet  r  1.6  [wn]: 
 
  caustic 
  adj  1:  harsh  or  corrosive  in  tone;  "an  acerbic  tone  piercing 
  otherwise  flowery  prose";  "a  barrage  of  acid 
  comments";  "her  acrid  remarks  make  her  many  enemies"; 
  "bitter  words";  "blistering  criticism";  "caustic  jokes 
  about  political  assassination,  talk-show  hosts  and 
  medical  ethics";  "a  sulfurous  denunciation"  [syn:  {acerb}, 
  {acerbic},  {acid},  {acrid},  {bitter},  {blistering},  {sulfurous}, 
  {sulphurous},  {venomous},  {virulent},  {vitriolic}] 
  2:  of  a  substance,  especially  a  strong  acid;  capable  of 
  destroying  or  eating  away  by  chemical  action  [syn:  {corrosive}, 
  {erosive},  {vitriolic}] 
  n  :  any  chemical  substance  that  burns  or  destroys  living  tissue




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