caustic
KAW-stik · adjective
Origin
Caustic comes from Latin causticus, meaning "burning," which came from Greek kaustikós, also "burning." That Greek word grew from kaustós, "burnt," plus the adjective-forming suffix -ikós.
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Journey
The word has meant "burning" from Greek through Latin into English, whether applied to a chemical or a remark.
Related words
The root sense of burning is baked into every layer of its history, from Greek to Latin to English.
More words
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