Mordax

Mordax is a Latin adjective meaning biting, sharp, or mordant. It derives from mordere, to bite, and in classical Latin was used to describe organisms, effects, or qualities that bite or are capable of biting. In modern scientific writing, mordax is frequently employed as a descriptive epithet in taxonomic names to convey a perceived biting characteristic or a biting appearance.

As a species epithet, mordax is not tied to a single taxonomic group. It appears across diverse taxa, including insects, other arthropods, fish, and plants, and is chosen by authors for descriptive reasons rather than to imply phylogeny. In a binomial name, mordax modifies the genus; its ending agrees with the gender and number of the noun according to Latin grammar.

Outside taxonomy, mordax may be encountered in discussions of Latin vocabulary, where it serves as an example of a bite-related descriptor, or in historical texts. It remains a recognized Latin term with continuing usage in nomenclature and linguistic description.