adjective / noun

corrosive

kuh-ROH-siv/kəˈrəʊsɪv/

Eating away or destroying material through chemical action.

The corrosive liquid leaves pits in the metal.

A clear laboratory dropper releases liquid onto a metal strip, where the wet contact area is visibly bubbling and eaten through into ragged pits and a hole; the dry portion remains smooth and intact.

Etymology

corLatintogether; perhaps adds emphasis

+rosLatinto gnaw, eat away

+iveOld Frenchtending to

The 'gnaw' root supplies the image of eating material away, with a prefix that may intensify it. The adjective ending describes a substance capable of causing that damage through chemical action.

In context

Bella's Comic Chronicles345:13

As long as the ship's hull is contaminated by this corrosive liquid, it will cause continuous damage to the ship's durability!

🔥In a Sea War World, His Lottery System 10X Upgrades His S-Rank Carrier and Starts Ruling the Seas!

More examples

Workers store corrosives in suitable containers.
The label warns of the solution's corrosive properties.
A protective coating shields the part from corrosive chemicals.

Forms

corrosive · corrosives · more corrosive · most corrosive

corrode verb — gradually damage through chemical action

Similar words

caustic: Caustic often describes substances that burn tissue; corrosive broadly describes chemical attack on materials.
erosive: Erosive wears material away mechanically or naturally; corrosive typically involves chemical attack.