Mordant /(?)/

Mor·dant

Mordant

a.
  1. Biting; caustic; sarcastic; keen; severe.
  2. Serving to fix colors. (Dyeing & Calico Printing)

Mordant

n.
  1. Any corroding substance used in etching.
  2. Any substance, as alum or copperas, which, having a twofold attraction for organic fibers and coloring matter, serves as a bond of union, and thus gives fixity to, or bites in, the dyes. (Dyeing & Calico Printing)
  3. Any sticky matter by which the gold leaf is made to adhere. (Gilding)

Mordant

v. t.

imp. & p. p. Mordanted; p. pr. & vb. n. Mordanting

  1. To subject to the action of, or imbue with, a mordant; as, to mordant goods for dyeing.