Astringent:
Sharply incisive; pungent. 2. Medicine/Medical. Contracting; constrictive; styptic .3. Harshly biting; caustic: his astringent criticism. 4. Stern or severe; austere.
1. Medicine/Medical. A substance that contracts the tissues or canals of the body, thereby diminishing discharges, as of mucus or blood. 2. A cosmetic that cleans the skin and constricts the pores.
Poppy Pomfrey had always thought that Minerva McGonagall would have made a good nurse. She didn't have much natural charm or bedside manner, true, but underneath her acidic tongue lay a heart of gold. She would have done anything in her power to help a student who needed it. Particularly one of her precious Gryffindors.
The one time she brought it up, Minerva had scoffed at her; told her not to be silly. "Me? A Healer? I wouldn't have had the patience."
But Poppy wasn't so sure. For the sake of their friendship, however, she kept her suspicions to herself.
