Mordacious
/mɔːrˈdeɪʃəs/noun
Having a biting quality, especially in speech or criticism; sharply caustic.
Did you know?Latin mordēre, “to bite,” was also used metaphorically for cutting criticism, giving English a word that treats speech as a physical wound.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*mer-
“To rub away, wear down, or bite; a reconstructed root connected with consuming or eroding.”
Classical Latin
Latin
mordēre
“To bite; figuratively, to sting or torment.”
Classical Latin
Latin
mordāx
“Biting or sharp; figuratively, caustic and cutting.”
Late Latin
Latin
mordācius
“More biting or sharply critical, formed from mordāx.”
16th Century
English
mordacious
“Biting or sharp, including in a figurative sense.”
Modern English
English
mordacious
“Caustically sharp, biting, or incisive in speech or criticism.”