mordant

EnglishEdit

EtymologyEdit

From French mordant.

PronunciationEdit

IPA^(key): /mɔː(ɹ)dənt/
Homophone: mordent

AdjectiveEdit

mordant (comparative more mordant, superlative most mordant)

Having or showing a sharp or critical quality
Synonyms: biting, caustic, sarcastic, keen, severe
Serving to fix a dye to a fibre.

TranslationsEdit

biting or caustic

Finnish: pureva (fi), julma (fi), pisteliäs (fi)
German: beißend (de)
Greek: δηκτικός (el) m (diktikós), καυστικός (el) m (kafstikós)

Italian: mordente (it), caustico (it), sarcastico (it), mordace (it)
Korean: 신랄한 (sillalhan)
Polish: żrący (pl)

NounEdit

mordant (plural mordants)

Any substance used to facilitate the fixing of a dye to a fibre; usually a metallic compound which reacts with the dye using chelation.
- 1964, L.F. Salzman, English Industries of the Middle Ages, p. 208.
  In dyeing two mediums are required, the colouring matter and the mordant which fixes the dye in the wool.
Any corrosive substance used in etching.
A glutinous size used as a ground for gilding, to make the gold leaf adhere.

SynonymsEdit

(substance for etching): etchant

TranslationsEdit

a substance used to facilitate dye fixing

Catalan: mordent m
Finnish: puretin
German: Beize (de) f
Gujarati: રંગરખું (raṅgarkhũ)
Italian: mordente (it) m

Korean: 매염제 (maeyeomje)
Maori: waitumu, tūmau kano
Serbo-Croatian: močilo (sh) n
Spanish: mordiente, mordaz (es)

VerbEdit

mordant (third-person singular simple present mordants, present participle mordanting, simple past and past participle mordanted)