What is "caustic lime"

Lime \Lime\, n. [AS. l[=i]m; akin to D. lijm, G. leim, OHG. l[=i]m, Icel. l[=i]m, Sw. lim, Dan. liim, L. limus mud, linere to smear, and E. loam. [root]126. Cf. Loam, Liniment.]

1. Birdlime.

   Like the lime That foolish birds are caught with.
   --Wordsworth.

2. (Chem.) Oxide of calcium, CaO; the white or gray, caustic substance, usually called quicklime, obtained by calcining limestone or shells, the heat driving off carbon dioxide and leaving lime. It develops great heat when treated with water, forming slaked lime, and is an essential ingredient of cement, plastering, mortar, etc.

   Note: Lime is the principal constituent of limestone, marble, chalk, bones, shells, etc.

   Caustic lime, Calcium hydroxide or slaked lime; also, in a less technical sense, calcium oxide or quicklime.

   Lime burner, one who burns limestone, shells, etc., to make lime.

   Lime pit, a limestone quarry.

   Lime rod, Lime twig, a twig smeared with birdlime; hence, that which catches; a snare.
   --Chaucer.

Caustic \Caus"tic\, Caustical \Caus"tic*al\, a. [L. caustucs, Ge. ?, fr. ? to burn. Cf. Calm, Ink.]

1. Capable of destroying the texture of anything or eating away its substance by chemical action; burning; corrosive; searing.

2. Severe; satirical; sharp; as, a caustic remark.

   Caustic curve (Optics), a curve to which the ray of light, reflected or refracted by another curve, are tangents, the reflecting or refracting curve and the luminous point being in one plane.

   Caustic lime. See under Lime.

   Caustic potash, Caustic soda (Chem.), the solid hydroxides potash, KOH, and soda, NaOH, or solutions of the same.

   Caustic silver, nitrate of silver, lunar caustic.

   Caustic surface (Optics), a surface to which rays reflected or refracted by another surface are tangents. Caustic curves and surfaces are called catacaustic when formed by reflection, and diacaustic when formed by refraction.

   Syn: Stinging; cutting; pungent; searching.

n. a caustic substance produced by heating limestone [syn: calcium hydroxide, lime, slaked lime, hydrated lime, calcium hydrate, lime hydrate]