Chemistry. a compound usually having a sour taste and capable of neutralizing alkalis and reddening blue litmus paper, containing hydrogen that can be replaced by a metal or an electropositive group to form a salt, or containing an atom that can accept a pair of electrons from a base. Acids are proton donors that yield hydronium ions in water solution, or electron-pair acceptors that combine with electron-pair donors or bases.
a substance with a sour taste.
something, as a remark or piece of writing, that is sharp, sour, or ill-natured: His criticism was pure acid.
Slang. LSD2.
adjective
Chemistry.
belonging or pertaining to acids or the anhydrides of acids.
having only a part of the hydrogen of an acid replaced by a metal or its equivalent: an acid phosphate.
having a pH value of less than 7.Compare alkaline (def. 4).
sharp or biting to the taste; tasting like vinegar; sour: acid fruits.
sharp, biting, or ill-natured in mood, manner, etc.: an acid remark; an acid wit.
Geology. containing much silica.
Metallurgy. noting, pertaining to, or made by a process in which the lining of the furnace, or the slag that is present, functions as an acid in high-temperature reactions in taking electrons from oxide ions: usually a siliceous material, as sand or ganister.Compare basic (def. 3).
Idioms for acid
put on the acid, AustralianSlang. to importune someone, as for money, sexual favors, or confidential information.
7. Acid,astringent are terms used figuratively of wit or humor. Acid suggests a sharp, biting, or ill-natured quality: an acid joke about an opponent.Astringent connotes severity but usually also a bracing quality, as of something applied with curative intent: astringent criticism.
The researchers’ process involves first bathing the bricks in a hydrochloric acid vapor, which seeps into the pores and reacts with the iron oxide that gives the bricks their red color.
Scientists Found a Way to Turn Bricks Into Batteries|Edd Gent|August 17, 2020|Singularity Hub
Other methods exist to determine whether people are capable of infecting others, including monoclonal antibodies and CRISPR gene-editing techniques to detect viral proteins or bits of nucleic acid.
The Case for Rapid At-Home COVID Testing for Everyone - Facts So Romantic|Robert Bazell|August 5, 2020|Nautilus
There, Gilbert uses amino acids to get proteins to communicate with each other.
The superheroes in these comics were inspired by real scientists|Kyle Plantz|July 28, 2020|Science News For Students
Most potential drug targets are proteins, and a protein’s structure—meaning the way a 2D sequence of amino acids folds into a 3D protein—determines its function.
How AI Will Make Drug Discovery Low-Cost, Ultra-Fast, and Personalized|Peter H. Diamandis, MD|July 23, 2020|Singularity Hub
Sasselov has encouraged Globus and Blandford to consider whether cosmic rays might join forces with polarized light to shape the amino acids on asteroids.
Cosmic Rays May Explain Life’s Bias for Right-Handed DNA|Charlie Wood|June 29, 2020|Quanta Magazine
I write the lyrics and work with Murv Douglas from Lords of Acid.
Porn Stars on the Year in Porn: Drone Erotica, Belle Knox, and Wild Sex|Aurora Snow|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The recent spate of acid attacks on women is only the latest manifestation of this dangerous trend.
The Nuclear Deal That Iran’s Regime Fears Most|Djavad Khadem|November 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Your acid experiences also seem to dovetail with expanding your musical consciousness.
There was no acid in the bucket, just water mixed with some cleansers, which gave the sensation of burning.
Acid Attacks on Women Spread Terror in Iran|IranWire|October 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Twice in our conversations, which spanned two days this past week, the actors started joking about tripping on acid.
How Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig Pulled Off Their Most Dramatic Roles Yet|Kevin Fallon|September 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Persian walnut, I believe, when on its own roots, is more or less allergic to acid soil.
Northern Nut Growers Association Thirty-Fourth Annual Report 1943|Various
When all the acid has been added, the liquid is allowed to cool.
Scientific American, Volume 56, No. 9, February 26, 1887|Various
The atmosphere, charged with acid gases, which surrounded this primitive rock must have been of immense density.
The Origin of the World According to Revelation and Science|John William Dawson
Failure to do this will finally result in an increased proportion of acid in one cell and a deficiency of acid in others.
The Automobile Storage Battery|O. A. Witte
No other acid, or metallic solution, but the above, has been found to answer the desired purpose of the hatmaker.
A Dictionary of Arts, Manufactures and Mines|Andrew Ure
British Dictionary definitions for acid
acid
/ (ˈæsɪd) /
noun
any substance that dissociates in water to yield a sour corrosive solution containing hydrogen ions, having a pH of less than 7, and turning litmus redSee also Lewis acid
a sour-tasting substance
a slang name for LSD
adjective
chem
of, derived from, or containing acidan acid radical
being or having the properties of an acidsodium bicarbonate is an acid salt
sharp or sour in taste
cutting, sharp, or hurtful in speech, manner, etc; vitriolic; caustic
(of rain, snow, etc) containing pollutant acids in solution
(of igneous rocks) having a silica content of more than 60% of the total and containing at least one tenth quartz
metallurgyof or made by a process in which the furnace or converter is lined with an acid materialacid steel
Derived forms of acid
acidly, adverbacidness, nounacidy, adjective
Word Origin for acid
C17: (first used by Francis Bacon): from French acide or Latin acidus, from acēre to be sour or sharp
A sour-tasting material (usually in a solution) that dissolves metals and other materials. Technically, a material that produces positive ions in solution. An acid is the opposite of a base and has a pH of 0 to 7. A given amount of an acid added to the same amount of a base neutralizes the base, producing water and a salt. Common vinegar, for example, is a weak solution of acetic acid.
notes for acid
Figuratively, acid applies to anything sour or biting; for example, an “acid wit” is sharp and unpleasant.
Any of a large class of sour-tasting substances whose aqueous solutions are capable of turning blue litmus indicators red, of reacting with and dissolving certain metals to form salts, and of reacting with bases or alkalis to form salts.
A substance that ionizes in solution to give the positive ion of the solvent.
A substance capable of yielding hydrogen ions.
A proton donor.
An electron acceptor.
A molecule or ion that can combine with another by forming a covalent bond with two electrons of the other.
Any of a class of compounds that form hydrogen ions when dissolved in water, and whose aqueous solutions react with bases and certain metals to form salts. Acids turn blue litmus paper red and have a pH of less than 7. Their aqueous solutions have a sour taste. Compare base.