A product used in dyeing that reacts with the dye and fiber to fix the dye permanently to the fiber Different mordants produce different hues and shades from the same dye
Mordant humour is very critical and often mocks someone or something. A wicked, mordant sense of humour has come to the fore in Blur's world. = caustic. mordant wit/satire/humour unkind and insulting humour etc that is also funny = biting (present participle of mordre , from mordere)
From the Latin 'to bite', the term describes a substance used to prepare wool or silk for dyeing The mordant attaches to receptor sites on the surface of protein fibers and makes a chemical bridge between the dyestuff and fiber The most common mordants are alum and iron sulfite Madder and the yellow plant dyes require a mordant, whereas indigo does not
Any substance, as alum or copperas, which, having a twofold attraction for organic fibers and coloring matter, serves as a bond of union, and thus gives fixity to, or bites in, the dyes