Where does “mordant” come from?

mordant (Romanian) comes from French mordant, from Latin mordeō, from Proto-Italic mordeō, from Proto-Indo-European (s)merd- — to bite, to sting.

mordant (Romanian): mordant

Definitions

  1. mordant

Ancestry of “mordant”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchmordantpresent participle of mordre; biting, sharp,...
2Latinmordeōto bite (into); nibble, gnaw
3Proto-Italicmordeōto bite
4Proto-Indo-European(s)merd-to bite, to sting
Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)merd- →Every word from Proto-Italic mordeō →Every word from Latin mordeō →