"mordant" in the noun sense
1. mordant
a substance used to treat leather or other materials before dyeing aids in dyeing process
"mordant" in the adjective sense
1. black, grim, mordant
harshly ironic or sinister
"black humor"
"a grim joke"
"grim laughter"
"fun ranging from slapstick clowning ... to savage mordant wit"
2. caustic, corrosive, erosive, vitriolic, mordant
of a substance, especially a strong acid capable of destroying or eating away by chemical action
Source: WordNet® (An amazing lexical database of English)
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