Part 124

But that broad causeway will direct your way. Dryden.

The other way Satan went down The causey to Hell-gate. Milton.

{ Cause"wayed (?), Cau"seyed (?). } a. Having a raised way (causeway or causey); paved. Sir W. Scott. C. BrontÚ.

Cau*sid"i*cal (?), a. [L. causidicakis; causa a cause in law + dicare to say.] Pertaining to an advocate, or to the maintenance and defense of suits.

{ Caus"tic (?), Caus"tic*al (?), } a. [L. caustucs, Ge. &?;, fr. &?; to burn. Cf. Calm, Ink.] 1. Capable of destroying the texture of anything or eating away its substance by chemical action; burning; corrosive; searing.

2. Severe; satirical; sharp; as, a caustic remark.

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 lime. See under Lime. -- Caustic potash, 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.

Syn. -- Stinging; cutting; pungent; searching.

Cau"stic, n. [L. causticum (sc. medicamentum). See Caustic, a.] 1. Any substance or means which, applied to animal or other organic tissue, burns, corrodes, or destroys it by chemical action; an escharotic.

2. (Optics) A caustic curve or caustic surface.

Caus"tic*al*ly, adv. In a caustic manner.

Caus*tic"i*ly (?), n. 1. The quality of being caustic; corrosiveness; as, the causticity of potash.

2. Severity of language; sarcasm; as, the causticity of a reply or remark.

Caus"tic*ness (?), n. The quality of being caustic; causticity.

Cau"tel (?), n. [F. cautŔle, L. cautela, fr. cavere to be on one's guard, to take care.] 1. Caution; prudence; wariness. [Obs.] Fulke.

2. Craft; deceit; falseness. [Obs.] Shak.

Cau"te*lous (?), a. [F. cauteleux, LL. cautelosus. See Cautel.] 1. Caution; prudent; wary. [Obs.] "Cautelous, though young." Drayton.

2. Crafty; deceitful; false. [Obs.] Shak.

-- Cau"te*lous*ly, adv. -- Cau"te*lous*ness, n. [Obs.]

Cau"ter (?), n. [F. cautŔre, L. cauterium, fr. Gr. &?; a branding iron, fr. &?; to burn. Cf. Caustic, Cautery.] A hot iron for searing or cauterizing. Minsheu.

Cau"ter*ant (?), n. A cauterizing substance.

Cau"ter*ism (?), n. The use or application of a caustic; cautery. Ferrand.

Cau`ter*i*za"tion (?), n. [Cf. F. cautŔrisation.] (Med.) The act of searing some morbid part by the application of a cautery or caustic; also, the effect of such application.

Cau"ter*ize (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Cauterized (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Cauterizing.] [L. cauterizare, Gr. &?;, fr. a branding iron: cf. F. cautÚrised.. See cauter.] 1. To burn or sear with a cautery or caustic. Dunglison.

2. To sear, as the conscience. Jer. Taylor.

Cau"ter*y (?), n.; pl. Cauteries (#). [L. cauterium, Gr. &?;. See Cauter.] 1. (Med.) A burning or searing, as of morbid flesh, with a hot iron, or by application of a caustic that will burn, corrode, or destroy animal tissue.

2. The iron of other agent in cauterizing.

Actual cautery, a substance or agent (as a hot iron) which cauterizes or sears by actual heat; or the burning so effected. -- Potential cautery, a substance which cauterizes by chemical action; as, lunar caustic; also, the cauterizing produced by such substance.