Astringent Uh Strin Juhnt Adjective Contracting Constricting Caustic Pungent Stern

astringent /uh-STRIN-juhnt/

adjective

1. Contracting or constricting.

2. Caustic; pungent.

3. Stern; austere.

noun

A substance that constricts body tissues.

[From Latin astringere (to bind fast), from ad- (toward) + stringere (to bind). Ultimately from the Indo-European root streig- (to stroke or press), which is also the source of strike, streak, strict, stress, strain, and strait. Earliest documented use: 1541.]

“However, unlike the apple and its other cousin the pear, quince flesh is hard and astringent and cannot be eaten raw.” - Jan Bilton; Quinces, the Perfect Accompaniments; Hawke’s Bay Today (New Zealand); Apr 25, 2014.

“Young Ajay Mishra, whose family carries with it a wound that will not heal, reads Ernest Hemingway and finds in that astringent language a way out.” - Amrita Dutta; Remains of the Day; The Indian Express (New Delhi); May 10, 2014.