From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Corrosive \Cor*ro"sive\, n.
1. That which has the quality of eating or wearing away
gradually.
[1913 Webster]
[Corrosives] act either directly, by chemically
destroying the part, or indirectly by causing
inflammation and gangrene. --Dunglison.
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2. That which has the power of fretting or irritating.
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Such speeches . . . are grievous corrosives.
--Hooker.
-- {Cor*ro"sive*ly}, adv. -- {Cor*ro"sive*ness}, n.
[1913 Webster]
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Corrosive \Cor*ro"sive\ (k?r-r?"s?v), a. [Cf. F. corrosif.]
1. Eating away; having the power of gradually wearing,
changing, or destroying the texture or substance of a
body; as, the corrosive action of an acid. "Corrosive
liquors." --Grew. "Corrosive famine." --Thomson.
[1913 Webster]
2. Having the quality of fretting or vexing.
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Care is no cure, but corrosive. --Shak.
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{Corrosive sublimate} (Chem.), mercuric chloride, {HgCl2}; so
called because obtained by sublimation, and because of its
harsh irritating action on the body tissue. Usually it is
in the form of a heavy, transparent, crystalline
substance, easily soluble, and of an acrid, burning taste.
It is a virulent poison, a powerful antiseptic, and an
excellent antisyphilitic; called also {mercuric
bichloride}. It is to be carefully distinguished from
calomel, the mild chloride of mercury.
[1913 Webster]
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
corrosive
adj 1: of a substance, especially a strong acid; capable of
destroying or eating away by chemical action [syn:
{caustic}, {corrosive}, {erosive}, {vitriolic},
{mordant}]
2: spitefully sarcastic; "corrosive cristism"
n 1: a substance having the tendency to cause corrosion (such a
strong acids or alkali)
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