Astringent
/əˈstɹɪn.d͡ʒənt/ adj, noun
adj, noun ·Moderate ·High school level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A substance which draws tissue together, thus restricting the flow of blood.
- 2 a drug that causes contraction of body tissues and canals wordnet
Adjective
- 1 Extremely sour, bitter.
- 2 Sharp, caustic, severe.
"Philip, who was made Duke of Edinburgh on the couple’s wedding, introduced a new, less stuffy, though as the years went on occasionally astringent, tone to the royal family."
- 3 Causing a dry or puckering mouthfeel; characteristic of foods with high tannin content, such as certain kinds of berries and citrus fruits.
- 4 Having the effect of drawing tissue together; styptic.
Adjective
- 1 tending to draw together or constrict soft organic tissue wordnet
- 2 sour or bitter in taste wordnet
Example
More examples"These grapes are fairly astringent, so they make my mouth pucker."
Etymology
From Latin adstringere (“to bind fast”), from ad (“toward”) + stringere (“bind, pull tight”). Compare stringent.