Mordant

Definition: Mordant

Mordant

Adjective

1. Harshly ironic or sinister; "black humor"; "a grim joke"; "grim laughter"; "fun ranging from slapstick clowning ... to savage mordant wit".

Noun

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

Date "mordant" was first used: 1474. (references)

Domain	Definition
Chemical Industry	Any substance which, by combining with a dyestuff to form an insoluble compound or lake, serves to produce a fixed color in a textile fiber, leather, etc. Source: European Union. (references)
Mining	A substance used in dyeing to fix the coloring matter, as a metallic compound that combines with a organic dye to form an insoluble coloredcompound, or lake, in the fiber of a fabric. (references)
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

A mordant is a substance used to set dyes. A mordant is either collodial, or produces colloids and can be either acidic or basic.

Tannic acid, alum, chrome alum, and certain salts of aluminum, chromium, copper, iron, potassium, and tin.

A mordant in music is also a type of musical ornament: see Ornament

Synonyms: Mordant

Synonyms: black (adj), grim (adj). (additional references)

Context	Synonyms within Context (source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus).
Physical Energy	Rousing, irritation; poignant; virulent, caustic, corrosive, mordant, harsh, stringent; double-edged, double-shotted, double-distilled; drastic, escharotic; racy; (pungent).
Pungency	Adjective: pungent, strong; high-, full-flavored; high-tasted, high-seasoned; gamy, sharp, stinging, rough, piquant, racy; biting, mordant; spicy; seasoned. Verb: hot, hot as pepper; peppery, vellicating, escharotic, meracious; acrid, acrimonious, bitter; rough. (sour); unsavory .
Source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus.

Crosswords: Mordant

English words defined with "mordant": Adjective color, antimony potassium tartrate ♦ black ♦ chrome alum ♦ Fustet ♦ grim ♦ Iron liquor ♦ Mixtion, Mordanted, Mordanting, Mordantly ♦ Pink salt ♦ Red liquor ♦ Salt of tin, sodium bichromate, sodium dichromate, stannic chloride, Stannous chloride, Substantive color ♦ tartar emetic ♦ white vitriol ♦ zinc sulfate, zinc sulphate, zinc vitriol. (references)

Specialty definitions using "mordant": Adjective Colours. (references)

Etymologies containing "mordant": morsel. (references)

Non-English Usage: "Mordant" is also a word in the following languages with English translations in parentheses.

French (acrid, acrimonious, biting, caustic, cutting, incisive, mordacious, mordant, mordent, penetrating, peppery, pungent, ratty, trenchant, vitriolic), Romanian (mordant).

Domain	Title
References	The World Market for Acid Dyes Including Preparations and Mordant Dyes Including Preparations: A 2004 Global Trade Perspective (reference) (more reference examples)

Books	Des chevaux de guerre hurlant et mordant (reference) Grattelle Au Bois Mordant (reference) PC Mom: The Mother of All PC Books, Wherein Mom's Mordant Minions Muck in the Multimedia Madness (reference) (more book examples)
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

"Mordant" is generally used as an adjective (general or positive) -- approximately 73.91% of the time. "Mordant" is used about 23 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted)

Parts of Speech	Percent	Usage per 100 Million Words	Rank in English
Adjective (general or positive)	73.91%	17	85,106
Noun (singular)	26.09%	6	143,867
Total	100.00%	23	N/A

Expressions using "mordant": red mordant ♦ Tin mordant. Additional references.
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com.

Language		Translations for "mordant"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses.
Albanian		fiksues (fixative, fixer), acid (acetous, acid, sour, tart). (various references)

Arabic		‏كاو (caustic), ‏محرق (blazing, burning, focal point, focus, pungent), ‏مرسخ للون, ‏لاذع (acerb, acid, acrid, acrimonious, biting, bitter, bitterly, burning, caustic, cutting, harsh, hot, keen, nippy, peppery, piquant, poignant, pungent, rough, salty, sarcastic, savory, savoury, scathing, scorching, sharp, sharp tongued, smarting, snappish, snappy, spicy, spiteful, stinging, tart, waspish), ‏عالج بمادة مثبتة للون, ‏المرسخ مادة كيميائية, ‏الأكالة. (various references)

Bulgarian		стипцовка, язвителен (acerb, acerbic, acid, acidulated, acrid, acrimonious, adust, biting, cutting, incisive, poignant, pungent, sardonic, splenetic, stinging, trenchant, vinegary, vitriolic, waspish), саркастичен (acerb, acerbic, epigrammatic, sarcastic, sarky, satiric, tart), разяждащ (cankerous, caustic, corrosive, vitriolic), хаплив (acerb, acerbic, acidulous, caustic, peppery, poignant, pungent, scratchy, severe, shrewd, tart), фиксатор (fixative, retainer), заядлив (argumentative, bellicose, captious, carping, combative, contradictious, contradictory, currish, doggish, nagging, peevish, provoking, spleenful, troublesome, vixenish), байц. (various references)

Chinese		�'�"剂. (various references)

Czech		sarkastický (biting, cutting, sarcastic, snide), sžíravý (abrasive, blistering, caustic, savage), žíravina (corrosive), žíravý (caustic, vitriolic). (various references)

Danish		bejdsemiddel. (various references)

Dutch		beitsmiddel, beits (stain, wood-dye, wood-stain). (various references)

Esperanto		mordaĵo (stain, wood-dye, wood-stain). (various references)

Finnish		pureva (biting, incisive, sharp). (various references)

French		mordant (mordacious, mordent). (various references)

German		beißend (acid, astringent, barbed, biting, bitter, cutting, gnawing, mordacious, mordantly, nippy, pungent, scathing, sharp, tart, trenchant, venomous). (various references)

Greek		σαρκαστικόσ (cutting, sarcastic, taunting, vitriolic), στερεωτική βαφή, πρόστυμμα (season), διαβρωτική ουσία (corrosive), δηκτικόσ (acrimonious, biting, caustic, cutting, nippy, poignant, pointed, scathing, snappish, stinging). (various references)

Hebrew		ל�'ל�'� י (derisive, derisory, quizzical, sarcastic, sardonic), עוקץ (acantha, barb, briar, point, pointed, sarcasm, spine, sting, tip), ח�" (acute, biting, keen, pointed, sharp), חריף (acerb, hot taste, nippy, salty, sharp, tart). (various references)

Hungarian		gúnyos (biting, bland, derisive, derisory, have a fling at sy, ironic, ironical, sarcastic, sarky, satirical, scornful, to cover sy with ridicule). (various references)

Italian		mordente (bite, drive). (various references)

Japanese Kanji		�'�"剤 . (various references)

Japanese Katakana		ばいせ�"ざい. (various references)

Korean		매염� �. (various references)

Manx		greimmeyder (biter, fixative, grab, grabber, grasper, holder, snapper, sticker, stitcher), foyragh (cutting, edged, incisive, keen, sharp, sharp-edged, steely). (various references)

Pig Latin		ordantmay

Portuguese		mordente (cheek, cutting, fixature, nipping, piquant). (various references)

Romanian		muşcãtor (acid, acrid, acrimonious, biting, caustic, peppery, sarcastic, snappish), mordant, usturãtor (acrid, biting, burning, cutting, sarcastic, scathing, scorching, shrewd, smart, smarting, stinging), caustic (acerb, acid, acidulous, acrid, acrimonious, biting, caustic, personal, pungent, pungently, scathing, scorching), baiţ (stain, Stainer). (various references)

Russian		саркастический (sarcastic, wisecracking), колкий (incisive, poignant, pointed, prickly, punchy), едкий (acerb, acerbic, acrid, biting, caustic, corrosive, poignant, pungent, scalding, scathing, sulphurous, tart, vitriolic), протрава (pickle). (various references)

Serbo-Croatian		mordan, zajedljiv (acidulous, astringent, biting, cutting, poignant, pointed, sarcastic, tart, taunting, vitriolic), koji fiksira boje. (various references)

Spanish		mordaz (acid, acrimonious, barbed, biting, blistering, cutting, incisive, mordacious, nipping, peppery, poignant, pointed, pungent, scathing, scorching, searing, sharp). (various references)

Swedish		beta (bait, Bate, beet, beta, bite, break, browse, disinfect, feed, grass, graze, morsel, pasture, pickle, soak, steep). (various references)

Thai		เย้ยหยัน (jeer, jeer at), สารที่ช่วยให้สีย้อมติ�"เนื้อผ้าหรือวัส�"ุอื่น, ซึ่งทำให้ติ�"สีย้อม. (various references)

Turkish		renk sabitleştirici ilaç, renk sabitleştirici, iğneli (barbed, mordacious, pointed, sarcastic, scathing, spinose, spinous, with a needle, with needles, with pins), iğneleyici (biting, cutting, mordacious, nippy, pricking, sarcastic, sarky, stinging, vitriolic, wry), içine işleyen (cutting, effecting painfully, penetrating, penetrative, piercing, profound), içe işleyen (cutting, penetrating, penetrative, profound), dokunaklı (acidulous, affective, barbed, biting, eloquent, expressive, incisive, moving, pathetic, poignant, pointed, pungent, scathing, sour, speaking, touching, trenchant), bakır oymacılığı ilacı. (various references)

Ukrainian		уїдливий (acid, acrid, acrimonious, arrowy, barbed, biting, carping, cattish, caustic, epigrammatic, exceptive, fault finding, mordacious, pointed, smart, spiteful, waspish, waspy), саркастичний (acrimonious, sarcastic, sarcastical, scoffing), протравний. (various references)

Vietnamese		chua cay (acrimonious, caustically, incisive, nipping, peppery, vitriolic), đay nghiến (biting, keen, mordacious). (various references)
Source: compiled by the editor from various translation references.

Language	Period	Translations
Latin	500 BCE-Modern	mordere. (various references)
Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

Derivations
	Words beginning with "mordant": mordanted, mordanting, mordantly, mordants. (additional references)
Misspellings
	"Mordant" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: amorant, Iordana, Marwant, Modrone, Moldan, Morante, morantel, Morcant, Morda, mordane, mordanted, mordants, Mordauntt, morden, mordnt, morran, Morrant, mortat, Mourjane, Murdin, Murrant, nordmanni, nordwand, Tordaunt, Wordcnt. (additional references)
Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references).

# of Phoneme Matches	Pronunciation	Word(s) rhyming with "mordant" (pronounced mô"rdunt)
6	-ô" r d u n t	discordant.
5	-r d u n t	ardent, retardant.
4	-d u n t	abundant, accident, antecedent, antioxidant, ascendant, attendant, coincident, confident, corespondent, correspondent, decadent, decedent, defendant, dependent, descendant, descendent, despondent, dissident, evident, imprudent, incident, independent, interdependent, nonresident, overconfident, oxidant, pendant, precedent, provident, prudent, redundant, resident, resplendent, respondent, rodent, strident, student, superintendent, transcendent, trident, verdant.
3	-u n t	abandonment, abatement, aberrant, abhorrent, abortifacient, absent, absorbent, abstinent, accelerant, accompaniment, accomplishment, accountant, accouterment, achievement, acknowledgement, acknowledgment, adamant, adherent, adjacent, adjournment, adjustment, adjutant, adolescent, adornment, advancement, advertisement, advisement, afferent, affiant, affluent, agent, aggrandizement, agreement, ailment, alignment, allotment, amazement, ambient, ambivalent, amendment, amusement, ancient, announcement, annulment, antidepressant, antigovernment, apartment, apparent, appeasement, applicant, appointment, apportionment, argent, argument, armament, arraignment, arrangement, arrant, arrogant, aspirant, assailant, assessment, assignment, assistant, assortment, astonishment, astringent, atonement, attachment, attainment, banishment, basement, battlement, belligerent, bemusement, beneficent, benevolent, bereavement, betterment, bewilderment, blandishment, blatant, bombardment, brilliant, buoyant, celebrant, claimant, clairvoyant, Clement, client, coefficient, cogent, cognizant, coherent, combatant, commandment, commencement, commitment, compartment, competent, complacent, complainant, complaisant, complement, compliant, component, comportment, concealment, concomitant, concurrent, condiment, confinement, confluent, consequent, consignment, consistent, consonant, constant, constituent, consultant, containment, contaminant, contentment, contestant, continent, contingent, convalescent, convenient, convent, convergent, conversant, coolant, copayment, cormorant, Courant, covenant, Crescent, crosscurrent, current, curtailment, debarment, debasement, decent, declarant, decongestant, deferment, defiant, deficient, defoliant, delinquent, deodorant, department, deployment, deportment, depressant, derailment, detachment, detergent, determent, determinant, deterrent, detriment, development, deviant, different, diligent, diminishment, disagreement, disappointment, disarmament, disbarment, disbursement, discernment, discouragement, disenchantment, disenfranchisement, disengagement, disestablishment, disgruntlement, disillusionment, disinfectant, disinvestment, dismantlement, dismemberment, disobedient, dispersant, displacement, dissonant, distant, divalent, divergent, divestment, docent, dominant, dormant, easement, ebullient, efferent, effervescent, efficient, effluent, elegant, element, elephant, eloquent, embankment, embarrassment, embayment, embellishment, embezzlement, embodiment, emergent, emigrant, eminent, emplacement, employment, empowerment, enactment, encampment, enchantment, encirclement, encouragement, encroachment, endangerment, endearment, endorsement, endowment, enforcement, engagement, enhancement, enjoyment, enlargement, enlightenment, enlistment, enrichment, enrollment, enslavement, entanglement, entertainment, enticement, entitlement, entombment, entrant, entrapment, entrenchment, environment, equipment, equivalent, errant, escapement, escarpment, esculent, establishment, estrangement, evanescent, excellent, excitement, excrement, exigent, existent, exorbitant, expectant, expectorant, expedient, experiment, exponent, extant, extinguishment, extravagant, exuberant, exultant, Fabricant, fervent, figment, filament, flagrant, flamboyant, flatulent, flippant, fluent, fluorescent, formant, fragment, fragrant, fraudulent, frequent, fulfillment, gallant, garment, garnishment, giant, government, grandiloquent, grandparent, harassment, hesitant, hydrant, ignorant, immanent, immigrant, imminent, impairment, impatient, impeachment, impediment, impertinent, implement, important, impotent, impoundment, impoverishment, impressment, imprisonment, improvement, inadvertent, incandescent, incessant, incipient, incitement, inclement, incoherent, incompetent, inconsistent, incontinent, inconvenient, increment, incumbent, indecent, indictment, indifferent, indigent, indignant, indolent, inducement, indulgent, inefficient, infant, informant, infotainment, infrequent, infringement, ingredient, inhabitant, inhalant, inherent, innocent, inpatient, insignificant, insistent, insolent, insolvent, installment, instant, instrument, insufficient, insurgent, integument, intelligent, intercurrent, intermittent, internment, intersegment, intolerant, intransigent, invariant, investment, involvement, iridescent, irrelevant, irreverent, irritant, itinerant, jubilant, judgement, judgment, latent, leant, lenient, lieutenant, ligament, litigant, lubricant, lucent, luminescent, luxuriant, magnificent, malevolent, malignant, maltreatment, management, measurement, merchant, micromanagement, migrant, militant, miscreant, misgovernment, misjudgment, mismanagement, misstatement, mistreatment, moment, monovalent, monument, movement, mutant, nascent, negligent, noncombatant, nonexistent, nongovernment, nonmanagement, nonpayment, nonviolent, nourishment, nutrient, obedient, observant, obsolescent, occupant, odorant, ointment, omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient, operant, opponent, opulent, ornament, orpiment, outpatient, outplacement, overpayment, overstatement, pageant, parchment, parent, parliament, participant, patent, patient, pavement, payment, peasant, penchant, penitent, pennant, percipient, permanent, persistent, pertinent, petulant, pheasant, pigment, piquant, placement, pleasant, pliant, poignant, pollutant, postponement, postretirement, potent, preadolescent, predicament, predominant, preeminent, pregnant, prejudgment, prepayment, prescient, present, presentment, prevalent, procurement, proficient, prominent, pronouncement, propellant, proponent, protestant, prurient, pungent, punishment, pursuant, puzzlement, quadrant, quiescent, quotient, radiant, rampant, readjustment, reagent, realignment, reappointment, reapportionment, rearmament, rearrangement, reassessment, reassignment, recalcitrant, recent, recipient, recombinant, recruitment, recurrent, redeployment, redevelopment, reemployment, reenactment, refinement, refreshment, refrigerant, refurbishment, Regent, regiment, registrant, reimbursement, reinforcement, reinstatement, reinvestment, relevant, reliant, reluctant, reminiscent, remnant, repayment, repellent, repentant, replacement, replenishment, repugnant, requirement, resentment, resettlement, resilient, resistant, resonant, restatement, resultant, resurgent, reticent, retirement, retrenchment, reverent, rudiment, ruminant, sacrament, salient, seafront, sealant, sediment, segment, semipermanent, sentiment, Sequent, sergeant, serpent, servant, settlement, shipment, significant, silent, solvent, somnolent, stagnant, statement, stimulant, stringent, subcontinent, subsequent, subservient, succulent, sufficient, supergiant, supplement, supplicant, suppressant, surfactant, talent, tangent, temperament, tenant, tenement, testament, tetravalent, tolerant, torrent, tournament, transient, translucent, transparent, treatment, trenchant, triumphant, truant, truculent, tumescent, turbulent, tyrant, undercurrent, underdevelopment, underemployment, undergarment, underpayment, understatement, unemployment, unimportant, unpleasant, unrepentant, urgent, vacant, vagrant, valiant, variant, vehement, vibrant, vigilant, violent, virulent, warrant, wonderment.
Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits.

Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams
	Direct Anagrams: dormant.
	Words within the letters "a-d-m-n-o-r-t"
	-1 letter: matron, random, rodman.
	-2 letters: adorn, amort, manor, monad, nomad, radon, roman, tardo, toman, trona.
	-3 letters: atom, damn, darn, dart, dato, doat, dona, dorm, dram, drat, mano, mart, moan, moat, mora, morn, mort, nard, noma, norm, nota, orad, rand, rant, rato, road, roam, roan, rota, tarn, taro, toad, tora, torn, trad, tram, trod.
	-4 letters: ado.
	Words containing the letters "a-d-m-n-o-r-t"
	+1 letter: mandator, mordants.
	+2 letters: adornment, damnatory, dominator, dynamotor, mandators, mandatory, mordanted, mordantly, sandstorm.
	+3 letters: admiration, admonitory, adornments, amendatory, antidromic, antimodern, brominated, dermatogen, dominators, dominatrix, downstream, dynamotors, endometria, entodermal, intermodal, laundromat, moderating, moderation, montagnard, mordanting, motherland, nondormant, ordainment, ornamented, sandstorms.
	+4 letters: adjournment, admirations, adumbration, antimoderns, barnstormed, bombardment, countermand, deformation, demarcation, demonstrate, denominator, dermatogens, documentary, dynamometer, dynamometry, embryonated, endometrial, gangsterdom, grandmother, intimidator, laundromats, mandatories, mandatorily, moderations, montagnards, motherlands, motorcading, nondramatic, ordainments, outdoorsman, outdreaming, predominant, predominate, remediation, renominated, rodomontade, transformed, trichomonad, ultramodern, unamortized.
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro.