WordWeight : Weighing the Words

Pronunciation : Caus"tic, Caus"tic*al
Part of Speech : a.
Etymology : [L. caustucs, Ge. Calm, Ink.]
Definition : 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.
Source : Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913

Pronunciation : Cau"stic
Part of Speech : n.
Etymology : [L. causticum (sc. medicamentum). See Caustic, a.]
Definition : 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)

Defn: A caustic curve or caustic surface.
Source : Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913