GNU Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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Found 2 definitions

1.       
   { Caustic , Caustical , } a. [L. caustucs, Ge. , fr.  to burn. Cf. Calm, Ink.]
   Capable of destroying the texture of anything or eating away its substance by chemical action; burning; corrosive; searing.
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   Severe; satirical; sharp; as, a caustic remark.
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   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.
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2.       
   Caustic, n. [L. causticum (sc. medicamentum). See Caustic, a.]
   Any substance or means which, applied to animal or other organic tissue, burns, corrodes, or destroys it by chemical action; an escharotic.
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   (Optics) A caustic curve or caustic surface.
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