pungent Copy link Outline I. Lit.II. To the senses1. ăcūtus2. mordax3. ācer, cris, cre (the primary sense of the word)III. To the mind and feelings1. ăcūlĕātus2. mordax • pungent: pricking (see def. under pungency). I. Lit.: "With pungent pains on every side, So Regulus in torment died" (Swift), *ăcūlĕāti dolores (like a literae, v. infr.): or, *Regulus ut stimulis pungentibus undique corpus, Tormentis moritur (v. Lucr. 2, 460). II. To the senses: e. g. of snuff, "the pungent grains of titillating dust" (Pope), *pulveris titillantis pungentia grana: 1. ăcūtus: the p. taste of acids, acutus sapor; saporum genera XIII. reperiuntur, dulcis, suavis, pinguis, amarus, austerus, acer, acutus, acerbus, acidus, salsus, etc., in vinis et austerus et acutus et dulcis et suavis, Plin. 15, 27, 32, § 106. 2. mordax: p. vinegar, m. acetum, Pers. 5, 86: so, succus croci mordax, Plin. 25, 8, 50. 3. ācer, cris, cre (the primary sense of the word): let him avoid p. things, such as mustard, onion, garlick, ut vitet acria, ut est sinapi, cepa, allium, Varr. in Non. 201, 14. III. To the mind and feelings: 1. ăcūlĕātus: a p. letter, a. literae, Cic. Att. 14, 18: of sharp words, aculeata sunt, Animum fodicant, bona distimulant, facta et famam sauciant, Plaut. Bacch. 1, 1, 29-30. 2. mordax: e. g. carmen, Ov. Tr. 2, 563: invidia, Phaedr. 5, prol. 8: verum, Pers. 1, 107. Other words may be used according to the context, as, salsus, criminosus, malignus. Phr.: p. exigencies (Fell): *acriter urgens discrimen. To be p. (of things), *aculeum habere: and, when an object is admissible, mordeo, 2; mordĭco, 1; stĭmŭlo, 1: (of persons), *acerbum esse, e. g. in conviciis.