▪ I. corrosive, a. and n.
(kəˈrəʊsɪv, formerly ˈkɒrəsɪv)
Forms: α. 4–5 corosif, (-yf, -yff), 5–6 corosive, (-yve), corrosyve, (6 carosyfe, 7 corrosif), 6– corrosive. β. 5 coresif, 6 coresefe, corrizive, -ysive, 7 -isive, -if. γ. 6–7 co(r)rasive. See also corsie, corsive.
[a. F. corrosif, OF. corosif, -ive (14th c. in Littré). The stress being orig. on the third syllable, and afterwards on the first, the second was obscure, and its vowel was represented by e, i, a, and at length lost, giving the form corsive. Since the 17th c. etymological influence has caused the prevalence of corrosive with stress on the second syllable, as in corrode, corrosion; this is found in Milton 1667.]
A. adj. Having the quality of corroding.
1. Having the quality of eating away or consuming by chemical action: said of acids, etc.
| c 1386 Chaucer Can. Yeom. Prol. & T. 300 Of watres corosif [v.r. coresif] and of lymayle. 1471 Ripley Comp. Alch. Adm. in Ashm. (1652) 190 Waters corrosyve and waters Ardent. 1584 R. Scot Discov. Witchcr. xiv. i. 295 Waters corosive..waters of albifications, etc. 1667 Evelyn Diary 19 Sept., The corrosiue aire of London. 1830 Herschel Stud. Nat. Phil. iii. v. (1851) 311 Quicklime and oil of vitriol..exercise a powerful corrosive action on both animal and vegetable substances. 1888 Pall Mall G. 17 July 9/1 You were sentenced for throwing corrosive fluid over your..wife. |
2. Having the quality of eating away or destroying organic tissue:
a. said of diseases, etc.
| c 1400 Lanfranc's Cirurg. 78 Avicen seiþ þæt þer ben .vi. maner of þis ulcus..summe corosif. 1527 Andrew Brunswyke's Distyll. Waters D j b, Impostumes and other corosyve sores. 1667 Milton P.L. ii. 401 To heal the scarr of these corrosive Fires. 1671 Salmon Syn. Med. iii. xxii. 439 Corrosive Ulcers, and spreading Cankers. 1876 Harley Mat. Med. 316 Violent corrosive poisons. 1877 Swinburne Note on C. Bronte 37 It is a radical and mortal plague-spot, corrosive and incurable. |
b. Med. Said of medicinal agents or preparations: Caustic, escharotic.
| c 1400 Lanfranc's Cirurg. 214 Þis þou myȝt do with a medicyne corosif, save an hoot iren is bettere. 1413 Lydg. Pylgr. Sowle i. xxxi. (1859) 35 A plaister corosyf. 1541 Elyot Image Gov. 31 Lyke good surgeons..with corrosive and sharpe medicines, to drawe out the festred and stinkyng cores. 1610 Markham Masterp. ii. clvi. 460 The medicines are either corrosiue, putrifactiue, or caustick. 1751 Chesterfield Lett. III. cclii. 156 Not by taking anything corrosive to make you lean. 1843 Carlyle Past & Pr. (1858) 98 Some Saint-John's corrosive mixture. |
| γ 1592 West 1st Pt. Symbol. §102 B, Any such corrasiue, sharpe or eager medicine. 1618 M. Baret Horsemanship i. 72 The vnskilfull Chirurgion, which hath applyed corrasiue medicines to a greene wound. |
| fig. 1645 Milton Tetrach. (1851) 234 Christ administers..a sharpe and corrosive sentence against a foul and putrid licence. |
3. fig. a. Destructive, consuming, wasting.
b. Fretting, wearing to the mind or feelings.
| 1581 Mulcaster Positions xxxvii. (1877) 166 Vnlawfull and corrosiue maintenaunce. a 1600 Hooker Eccl. Pol. vi. iii. §4 There ariseth..a pensive and corrosive desire that we had done otherwise. 1742 Young Nt. Th. iii. 499 Ills corrosive, cares importunate. 1776 G. Campbell Philos. Rhet. (1801) I. 236 That torpid but corrosive rest which is the greatest of all evils. 1849 C. Brontë Shirley xxi. 314 The most corrosive woe. 1888 Amer. Humorist 5 May 14/2 The face of nature as it is before the corrosive hand of civilization sweeps across it. |
4. corrosive sublimate: mercuric chloride or bichloride of mercury (HgCl
2), a white crystalline substance, which acts as a strong acrid poison.
| 1706 Phillips (ed. Kersey), Sublimate Corrosive or White Mercury, a strong Corrosive Powder..us'd by Surgeons to eat away Corrupt or Proud Flesh, to cleanse old Ulcers, etc. 1751 Chambers Cycl. s.v. Mercury, Corrosive sublimate of Mercury..This sublimate is a violent escharotic. 1803 Med. Jrnl. IX. 81 Corrosive muriated quicksilver. 1842 Macaulay Fredk. Gt. Ess. (1854) II. 276/1 Pills of corrosive sublimate hidden in his clothes. |
B. n. 1. A substance that corrodes by chemical action; an acid or the like.
| 1471 Ripley Comp. Alch. Adm. in Ashm. (1652) 191 Oyles with Corrosyves Imade. 1616 F. Anthonie (title) Apologie or..Gold..made Potable and Medicinable without Corrosives. 1756–7 tr. Keysler's Trav. (1760) IV. 409 A corrosive, compounded of one third of tartar and two-thirds of nitre. |
2. Med. A corrosive drug, remedy, etc.; a caustic, escharotic, etc.
| c 1400 Lanfranc's Cirurg. 349 Corosivis & cauterizativis we usiþ in cirurgie in manie causis. 1562 Turner Herbal ii. 160 Black Hellebor..menged with Corrosiues. 1767 Jago Edgehill iii. (R.), As sharp corrosives to the schirrous flesh. 1830 R. Christison Treat. Poisons i. i. 2 Many of these irritants, such as arsenic, are in common speech called corrosives. |
| γ 1560 J. Daus tr. Sleidane's Comm. xxii. 346 a, To lay to this disease some corrasiue or other sharp medicine. 1636 Featly Clavis Myst. xx. 259 In physicke the corasives sharpen the lenitives, and the lenitives mitigate the corasives. 1638 G. Sandys Paraphr. Div. Poems, Job xiii, You Corrasives into my wounds distill. |
b. Applied to condiments having a sharp or pungent taste.
rare.
| 1707 Floyer Physic. Pulse-Watch 82 The hot Tastes in our Diet..such are the Acrid or Corrosives, as Mustard and Garlick; the Aromatics as Ginger. |
† 3. fig. a. Something that ‘frets’ or causes care or annoyance; a grief, annoyance.
b. A sharp or caustic remedy (
cf. 2).
Obs.| α c 1550 J. Ramsey (title), A Carosyfe to be layed hard unto the Hartes of all faythfull professours of Christes Gospel. 1621–51 Burton Anat. Mel. i. ii. iv. iv. 150 They..so meditate continually of it, that it is a perpetual corrosive. 1663 Clarendon Contempl. Ps. Tracts (1727) 731 The grief that arises from ill children, is a greater corrosive, than the comfort of good is a cordial. |
| β 1581 J. Bell Haddon's Answ. Osor. 282 b, This is the Popes best corrizive wherewith he eateth out the canker of controversies. 1602 W. Fulbecke 1st Pt. Parall. 27 That..their fathers faults [should be] a continuall corrisiue. |
| γ 1579 Lyly Euphues (Arb.) 99, I was halfe perswaded that they [women]..would be comforters, but now I see they..will be corrasiues. 1588 Greene Pandosto (1607) 18 In things past cure, care is a corasiue. 1630 E. Pellham Gods Power in Collect. Voy. (Churchill) IV. 817/1 What a cutting Corasive it would be to them, to hear of the untimely deaths of their Children. 1659 T. Wall Charac. Enemies Ch. 43 What a corrasive..to the penitent soul of David, to hear Nathan say, Thou hast made the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme. |
† c. Something that consumes.
Obs. rare.
| 1533 Elyot Let. to Cromwell in Gov. (1883) p. xcvi, Dowghters..be grete corrosives of a litle substance. |
¶ The form
corrasive has occasionally been taken as a
deriv. of L.
rādĕre to scrape, and distinguished from
corrosive.
| 1633 T. Adams. Exp. 2 Peter ii. 9 They are our corrosives, corrasives, used only to pare off our excrements. 1656 Blount Glossogr., Corrasive (from corrado), which scrapes together, shaves or spoils: This word is many times mistaken for Corrosive, from Corrodo. |
▪ II. † corrosive, v. Obs. Also 7
corrasive.
[f. corrosive n.] trans. To apply a corrosive to; to consume or ‘fret’ as a corrosive; to worry, vex, annoy, distress.
| 1581 Rich Farewell (1846) 14 Not only sett us free from these detestable enormities, but corrosived our consciences. 1593 Drayton Miseries Q. Marg. Wks. 1753 II. 397 If any thing do corrosive his breast, It was, that he was in base England born. 1642 Rogers Naaman 865 To have the dead flesh deeply corrasived. |
Hence
corrosiving vbl. n. and ppl. a.| 1592 Chettle Kinde-harts Dr. (1841) 22 Trauelers that, by incision, are able to ease all atches..Note their cuttings, drawings, corrosiuings, boxings, butcherings. 1641 Bp. Hall Rem. Wks. (1660) 79 Let us take off the proud flesh with the corrosiving denunciations of vengeance to the impenitent sinners. |