Sarcasm

Yes sarcasm the judicious employment of a biting wit. Bet you didn’t know that it also has a military origin.

The word is based on the Greek sarkasmos which means “flesh-tearing”. It was used in reference to a particularly brutal attack made on the battle field that involved wild hacking and slashing that tore and shredded the enemies flesh.

By the late 16th century the word shows up in English meaning a brutal and withering  verbal attack.