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mordancy

 - 2 dictionary results

mor⋅dan⋅cy

  [mawr-dn-see]
Use mordancy in a Sentence
–noun
the quality of being mordant; sharpness.
Origin:
1650–60; mord(ant) + -ancy
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To mordancy
mor·dant   (môr'dnt)   
adj.  

    1. Bitingly sarcastic: mordant satire.

    2. 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.

[French, from Old French, present participle of mordre, to bite, from Vulgar Latin *mordere, from Latin mordēre; see mer- in Indo-European roots.]
mor'dan·cy n., mor'dant·ly adv.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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