mordacity

M3O1R1D2A1C3I1T1Y4

noun

The quality of being mordacious; biting severity, or sarcastic quality.

OriginMiddle French mordacité ← Latin mordācitās ← French mordacité →
Scrabble 17
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Meanings

nounmordacity (usually uncountable, plural mordacities)

plural mordacities

  1. uncountableusuallyThe quality of being mordacious; biting severity, or sarcastic quality.

    Carlyle resisted the temptation to laugh outright, but mordacity lurked in his voice.

    1923, Ernest Bramah [pseudonym; Ernest Brammah Smith], “(please specify the page)”, in The Eyes of Max Carrados, London: Grant Richards, →OCLC
    1 more example

    such things as have very thin parts , yet notwithstanding are without all acrirumony or mordacity

    1627 (indicated as 1626), Francis [Bacon], “(please specify the page, or |century=I to X)”, in Sylua Syluarum: Or A Naturall Historie. In Ten Centuries. […], London: […] William Rawley […]; [p]rinted by J[ohn] H[aviland] for William Lee […], →OCLC

Origin

  1. Frenchmordacité
  2. Latinmordācitās“quality of biting”
  3. Middle Frenchmordacité
  4. Englishmordacity

From Middle French mordacité (whence -acity), from Latin mordācitās (“quality of biting”), from mordāx (“biting, snappish, tart”), from mordeō (“bite, nibble”). Compare French mordacité. See mordacious.

More words from Middle French, Latin, French

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Spanish mordacidad
  • mordacidadTranslations
Cite this entry
APA

mordacity. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mordacity

MLA

“mordacity.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mordacity. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “mordacity,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mordacity.

Source: mordacity on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.