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 Gaz., 17 July, 9/1. It is now ten years since you were sentenced for throwing corrosive fluid over your then 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. Brontë, 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. Chesterf., Lett., III. cclii. 156. Not by taking anything corrosive to make you lean.
1843. Carlyle, Past & Pr. (1858), 93. 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. (1887), 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 (Hg Cl2), 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. sb.
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 corrosiues.
1756–7. trans. 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, Edge-Hill, III. in Poems (1784), 101.
| The rough file grates; yet useful is its touch, | |
| As sharp corrosives to the schirrhous flesh, | |
| Or, to the stubborn temper, keen rebuke. |
1830. Sir R. Christison, Treat. Poisons, I. i. 2. Many of these irritants, such as arsenic, are in common speech called corrosives.
γ. 1560. Daus, trans. 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. 18. 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 vnto 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. 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. Pelham, God’s 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, Lett. 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.
