Mordanted

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. A technique that uses a chemical agent to ensure the permanence of color on textiles or surfaces
2. An approach that enhances the adhesion of dyes through treatment with specific chemicals
3. A substance applied to fabrics or surfaces to bind dyes permanently and improve color fastness

Etymology: Mordant comes from French, where "mordant" meant biting or stinging, and it traces back to the Latin verb "mordēre", to bite. The link to dyeing is a metaphor: a mordant is a substance that "bites" into fabric, fixing the dye so it does not wash or fade. Chemists and dyers use mordants such as alum, iron salts and tannins to bind colour to fibres, and the metal ions in these agents form bonds with both the cloth and the dye molecules. The word shares its root with "mordent", a musical ornament in which a note is rapidly alternated with the note above or below it. The two words are doublets, meaning they entered English by different routes from the same source, and both still carry the sense of a sharp, biting action. "Mordanted" is the past form of the verb, describing fabric or yarn that has already been treated with a mordant so that its dye will hold fast.

Synonyms: treated, prepared