Caustifying

/ˈkɔːstɪfaɪɪŋ/ verb

Definition

The present participle of 'caustify'; in the process of making something caustic or burning something away with a caustic substance.

Etymology

From 'caustify' plus the gerund/present participle suffix '-ing.' The word follows standard English verb formation patterns while maintaining the Latin and Greek roots referring to burning and corrosion.

Kelly Says

The image of 'caustifying' a wound sounds medieval, but surgeons were literally caustifying infected wounds right up through the Victorian era, using everything from hot irons to chemical pastes before antibiotics made it obsolete.

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