Meanings
adjectivemordicative (comparative more mordicative, superlative most mordicative)
comparative more mordicative · superlative most mordicative
- archaicfigurativelyBiting or corrosive.
[T]he conceits and jeſts of Ariſtophanes are bitter and ſharp withal, carrying with them a mordicative qualitie which doth bite, sting and exulcerate whereſoever they light.
1657, Plutarch, “A Breviary of the Comparison between Aristophanes and Menander”, in Philemon Holland, transl., The Philosophy, Commonly Called, The Morals […], revised edition, London: […] S[arah] G[riffin] for J. Kirton, […], →OCLC, page 774
Origin
- Latinmordicativus
- Englishmordicative
Learned borrowing from Latin mordicativus.
More words from Latin
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
APA
mordicative. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mordicative
MLA
“mordicative.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mordicative. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “mordicative,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mordicative.
Source: mordicative on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.