Words of the day: Tome and Mordant
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mordant \MOR-dunt\ adjective
1 : biting and caustic in thought, manner, or style : incisive
2 : burning, pungent
Did you know?
The etymology of "mordant" certainly has some bite to it. That word, which came to modern English through Middle French, ultimately derives from the Latin verb "mordere," which means "to bite." In modern parlance, "mordant" usually suggests a wit used with deadly effectiveness. "Mordere" puts the bite into other English terms, too. For instance, that root gave us the tasty "morsel" ("a tiny bite"). But nibble too many of those and you’ll likely be hit by another "mordere" derivative: "remorse" ("guilt for past wrongs"), which comes from Latin "remordere," meaning "to bite again."
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tome \TOHM\ noun
1 : a volume forming part of a larger work
2 : book; especially : a large or scholarly book
Did you know?
"Tome" comes from Latin "tomus," which comes from Greek "tomos," meaning "section" or "roll of papyrus." "Tomos" comes from the Greek verb "temnein," which means "to cut." In ancient times, some of the longest scrolls of papyrus occasionally were divided into sections. When it was first used in English in the 16th century, "tome" was a book that was a part of a multi-volume work. Now a tome is most often simply a large and often ponderous book.
mordant \MOR-dunt\ adjective
1 : biting and caustic in thought, manner, or style : incisive
2 : burning, pungent
Did you know?
The etymology of "mordant" certainly has some bite to it. That word, which came to modern English through Middle French, ultimately derives from the Latin verb "mordere," which means "to bite." In modern parlance, "mordant" usually suggests a wit used with deadly effectiveness. "Mordere" puts the bite into other English terms, too. For instance, that root gave us the tasty "morsel" ("a tiny bite"). But nibble too many of those and you’ll likely be hit by another "mordere" derivative: "remorse" ("guilt for past wrongs"), which comes from Latin "remordere," meaning "to bite again."
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tome \TOHM\ noun
1 : a volume forming part of a larger work
2 : book; especially : a large or scholarly book
Did you know?
"Tome" comes from Latin "tomus," which comes from Greek "tomos," meaning "section" or "roll of papyrus." "Tomos" comes from the Greek verb "temnein," which means "to cut." In ancient times, some of the longest scrolls of papyrus occasionally were divided into sections. When it was first used in English in the 16th century, "tome" was a book that was a part of a multi-volume work. Now a tome is most often simply a large and often ponderous book.