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caus·tic
 (kô  st  k)
KEY
ADJECTIVE:
- Capable of burning, corroding, dissolving, or eating away by chemical action.
- Corrosive and bitingly trenchant; cutting. See Synonyms at sarcastic.
- Causing a burning or stinging sensation, as from intense emotion:
"Most of all, there is caustic shame for my own stupidity"
(Scott Turow).
NOUN:
- A caustic material or substance.
- A hydroxide of a light metal.
- The enveloping surface formed by light rays reflecting or refracting from a curved surface, especially one with spherical aberration.
ETYMOLOGY:
Middle English caustik, from Latin causticus, from Greek kaustikos, from kaustos, from kaiein
, kau-, to burn
OTHER FORMS:
causti·cal·ly
(Adverb),
caus·tici·ty
(kô-st s -t  )
KEY
(Noun)
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