The BFD Word of the Day

The word for today is…

mordant (adjective, noun, verb)

adjective
1 : biting and caustic in thought, manner, or style (a mordant wit)
2 : acting as a mordant (as in dyeing)
3 : burning, pungent

noun
1 : a chemical that fixes a dye in or on a substance by combining with the dye to form an insoluble compound
2 : a corroding substance used in etching

verb
to treat with a mordant

Source : Merriam -Webster

Etymology : (adjective) The etymology of mordant certainly has some bite to it. That word, which came to modern English through Middle French, ultimately derives from the Latin verb mordere, which means “to bite.” In modern parlance, “mordant” usually suggests a wit used with deadly effectiveness. “Mordere” puts the bite into other English terms, too. For instance, that root gave us the tasty “morsel” (“a tiny bite”). But nibble too many of those and you’ll likely be hit by another “mordere” derivative: “remorse” (“guilt for past wrongs”), which comes from Latin remordere, meaning “to bite again.”

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