Capable of destroying the texture of anything or eating away its substance by chemical action; burning; corrosive; searing. [1913 Webster]
Severe; satirical; sharp; as, a caustic remark. [1913 Webster]
Caustic curve(Optics), a curve to which the ray of light, reflected or refracted by another curve, are tangents, the reflecting or refracting curve and the luminous point being in one plane. --
Caustic soda(Chem.), the solid hydroxides potash, KOH, and soda, NaOH, or solutions of the same. --
Caustic silver, nitrate of silver, lunar caustic. --
Caustic surface(Optics), a surface to which rays reflected or refracted by another surface are tangents. Caustic curves and surfaces are called catacaustic when formed by reflection, and diacaustic when formed by refraction.