MORDANT

Pronunciation (US):

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IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does mordant mean? 

• MORDANT (noun)
  The noun MORDANT has 1 sense:

1. a substance used to treat leather or other materials before dyeing; aids in dyeing process

  Familiarity information: MORDANT used as a noun is very rare.

• MORDANT (adjective)
  The adjective MORDANT has 2 senses:

1. harshly ironic or sinister

2. of a substance, especially a strong acid; capable of destroying or eating away by chemical action

  Familiarity information: MORDANT used as an adjective is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• MORDANT (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A substance used to treat leather or other materials before dyeing; aids in dyeing process

Classified under:

Nouns denoting substances

Hypernyms ("mordant" is a kind of...):

color; coloring material; colour; colouring material (any material used for its color)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "mordant"):

chrome alum (a violet-colored salt used in hide tanning and as a mordant in dyeing)

antimony potassium tartrate; tartar emetic (a poisonous colorless salt used as a mordant and in medicine)

sodium bichromate; sodium dichromate (a red-orange salt used as a mordant)

Derivation:

mordant (of a substance, especially a strong acid; capable of destroying or eating away by chemical action)

• MORDANT (adjective)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Harshly ironic or sinister

Synonyms:

black; grim; mordant

Context example:

fun ranging from slapstick clowning ... to savage mordant wit

Similar:

sarcastic (expressing or expressive of ridicule that wounds)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Of a substance, especially a strong acid; capable of destroying or eating away by chemical action

Synonyms:

caustic; corrosive; erosive; mordant; vitriolic

Similar:

destructive (causing destruction or much damage)

Derivation:

mordant (a substance used to treat leather or other materials before dyeing; aids in dyeing process)

 Context examples 

It is also used as a mordant in textile dyeing and paper manufacture.

(Aluminum Sulfate, NCI Thesaurus)

In this dye system, iron acts as a mordant to hematoxylin rendering it insoluble, thereby allowing irreversible blue-black colored dyeing to the cell nucleus.

(Iron Hematoxylin Staining Method, NCI Thesaurus)