n. & adj. --n. 1 Chem. a any of a class of substances that liberate hydrogen ions in water, are usu. sour and corrosive, turn litmus red, and have a pH of less than 7. b any compound or atom donating protons. 2 (in general use) any sour substance. 3 sl. the drug LSD. --adj. 1 sharp-tasting, sour. 2 biting, sharp (an acid wit). 3 Chem. having the essential properties of an acid. 4 Geol. containing much silica. 5 (of a colour) intense, bright. Phrases and idioms acid drop Brit. a kind of sweet with a sharp taste. acid-head sl. a user of the drug LSD. acid house a kind of synthesized music with a simple repetitive beat, often associated with the taking of hallucinogenic drugs. acid radical one formed by the removal of hydrogen ions from an acid. acid rain acid formed in the atmosphere esp. from industrial waste gases and falling with rain. acid test 1 a severe or conclusive test. 2 a test in which acid is used to test for gold etc. put the acid on Austral. sl. seek to extract a loan or favour etc. from. Derivatives acidic adj. acidimeter n. acidimetry n. acidly adv. acidness n. Etymology: F acide or L acidus f. acere be sour ACIDIFY v.tr. & intr. (-ies, -ied) make or become acid. Derivatives acidification n. ...
Толковый словарь английского языка Oxford English Reference
I. adjective Etymology: French or Latin; French ~e, from Latin ~us, from acere to be sour — more at acet- Date: 1626 1. a. sour, sharp, or biting to the taste b. sharp, biting, or sour in manner, disposition, or nature an ~ individual c. sharply clear, discerning, or pointed an ~ wit d. piercingly intense and often jarring ~ yellow 2. a. of, relating to, or being an ~; also having the reactions or characteristics of an ~ ~ soil an ~ solution b. of salts and esters derived by partial exchange of replaceable hydrogen ~ sodium carbonate NaHCO3 c. containing or involving the use of an ~ (as in manufacture) d. marked by or resulting from an abnormally high concentration of ~ ~ indigestion 3. relating to or made by a process (as in making steel) in which the furnace is lined with ~ic material and an ~ic slag is used 4. rich in silica ~ rocks • ~ly adverb • ~ness noun II. noun Date: 1696 1. a sour substance; specifically any of various typically water-soluble and sour compounds that in solution are capable of reacting with a base to form a salt, redden litmus, and have a pH less than 7, that are hydrogen-containing molecules or ions able to give up a proton to a base, or that are substances able to accept an unshared pair of electrons from a base 2. something incisive, biting, or sarcastic a social satire dripping with ~ 3. LSD • ~y adjective ...
(acids) Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English. 1. An acid is a chemical substance, usually a liquid, which contains hydrogen and can react with other substances to form salts. Some acids burn or dissolve other substances that they come into contact with. ...citric acid... N-MASS 2. An acid substance contains acid. These shrubs must have an acid, lime-free soil. ADJ • acidity ...the acidity of rainwater. N-UNCOUNT: oft N of n 3. The drug LSD is sometimes referred to as acid. (INFORMAL) N-UNCOUNT 4. see also amino acid, hydrochloric acid, nitric acid, nucleic acid, sulphuric acid ...
Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner's English Dictionary
~1 n 1 a substance that forms a chemical salt1 (4) when combined with an alkali1 (4) . Strong ~s can burn holes in material or damage your skin (sulphuric acid) 2 slang the drug LSD ~2 adj 1 having a very sour taste (The wine had a very acid taste.) 2 ~ remark/comment/tone etc an acid remark etc uses humour in an unkind way to criticize someone 3 the ~ test a way of finding out whether something is as good as people say it is, whether it works, or whether it is true (The acid test will come when the car goes on sale in the US.) 4 technical an ~ soil does not contain enough lime1 (3) - acidly adv - acidity n ...
- 1626, from Fr. acide, from L. acidus "sour," from PIE base *ak- "sharp, pointed." Slang meaning "LSD" first recorded 1966 (see LSD); acid rock is also from 1966; acid house is 1988, probably from acid in the hallucinogenic sense + house, the dance club DJ music style, probably from the Warehouse, a Chicago nightclub where the style originated. Acid test is Amer.Eng., from the frontier days, when gold was distinguished from similar metals by application of nitric acid. ...
