Astringency
/əˈstrɪn.dʒən.si/noun
The quality of causing tissues or the mouth to contract, producing a dry, puckering sensation.
Did you know?Its Latin ancestor, astringere, described tightening or constricting—an image that survived in medicine, where astringent substances were used to contract tissue and help stop bleeding.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*strengʰ-
“To draw tight, press, or make taut”
Classical Latin
Latin
stringere
“To bind tightly, draw tight, or compress”
Classical Latin
Latin
adstringere
“To bind or draw together tightly; to constrict”
Late Latin
Latin
astringentia
“A tightening or constricting substance or quality”
Middle French
French
astringence
“The quality of being astringent or constricting”
17th Century
English
astringency
“The quality of causing contraction, especially in bodily tissue or the mouth”
Modern English
English
astringency
“A dry, puckering, tissue-contracting quality”