I. - ə nt adjective
Etymology: Middle French, present participle of mordre to bite, from Latin mordēre
1. : biting and caustic in thought, manner, or style : incisive , keen
fun ranging from slapstick clowning to … savage mordant wit — Robert Bendiner
the mordant things you try to say to listeners, cruelties invariably regarded as merely gently whimsical — Irwin Edman
a mordant analyst and remorseless judge of snobbery — Time
2.
a. : acting as a mordant (as in dyeing)
b. : of, relating to, or subject to application by means of a mordant
3. : burning , pungent
mordant pain
4. : prone to biting
a mordant dog
• mor·dant·ly adverb
II. noun
( -s )
Etymology: French, from mordant, present participle of mordre to bite
1. : a chemical (as a salt or hydroxide of chromium or aluminum or tin) that serves to fix a dye in or on a substance (as a textile fiber, fur, or microscopic preparation of cells or tissues) by combining with the dye to form an insoluble compound
2. : any sticky matter used to cause leaf metal to adhere
3. : a corroding substance (as an acid solution) used in etching
III. transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
1. : to subject (as a textile fabric) to the action of or treat with a mordant or similar chemical
with the old dyewoods, cotton … was first mordanted with a metallic salt — C.M.Whittaker & C.C.Wilcock
2. : to treat (an emulsion or other photographic material) with a chemical that confers the ability to combine with dyes
IV.
variant of mordent