sarcasm

Where it comes from

Sarcasm is mocking language meant to wound or show contempt. It came through Latin from Greek sarkasmos, a sneer or taunt, based on sarkazein, to tear flesh like a dog and, figuratively, to speak bitterly. The history preserves a useful distinction. Irony can create a contrast between literal words and intended meaning without attacking anyone; sarcasm is typically cutting or derisive. Its ancient flesh-tearing image captures the aggression of praise that is really an insult or a remark designed to bite.

How the meaning developed

Sarcasm is called biting for good reason: its ancestry treats bitter speech as a verbal wound.