mordant

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The Word of the Day for May 13 is: 

mordant   \MOR-dunt\   adjective
    *1 : biting and caustic in thought, manner, or style : incisive 
     2 : burning, pungent 

Example sentence:
     As the guest of honor at the charity roast, Jacob good-naturedly received 
the mordant remarks directed at him by his friends, family, and colleagues.

Did you know?
     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."

*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.




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