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Origin and history of sulfurous

sulfurous(adj.)

1520s, "containing, impregnated with, or resembling sulfur; of the nature of brimstone," from Latin sulphurosus "full of sulfur," or a native formation from sulfur + -ous. The spelling sulphurous is standard in Britain.

Hence figurative use with suggestions of hellfire (c. 1600). The scientific chemistry sense is from 1790. The spelling with -ph- is standard in Britain.

Middle English had sulfury "containing or impregnated with sulfur" (early 15c.). Earlier in the "brimstone-like" sense was sulphureose (early 15c.), and Old English had sweflen. Related: Sulfurously; sulphurously; sulfurousness.

also from 1520s

Entries linking to sulfurous

sulfur(n.)

non-metallic elemental substance abundant in volcanic regions, late 14c., sulphur, soulphre, soulfre, soufre, etc., from Anglo-French sulfere, Old French soufre "sulfur, fire and brimstone, hellfire" (13c.), later also sulphur, from Late Latin sulfur, from Latin sulphur, which is probably from a root meaning "to burn."

It ousted native brimstone and cognate Old English swefl (compare German schwefel, Swedish swafel, Dutch zwavel). Emblematic of Hell or hellfire; to the Elizabethans it also was the stuff of lightning. The spelling sulphur is standard in Britain, but its suggestion of a Greek origin is misleading.

sulphurous(adj.)

The standard spelling of sulfurous (q.v.) in Britain.

-ous

word-forming element making adjectives from nouns, meaning "having, full of, having to do with, doing, inclined to," from Old French -ous, -eux, from Latin -osus (compare -ose (1)). In chemistry, "having a lower valence than forms expressed in -ic."

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    sultry
    1590s, of weather, air, etc., "oppressively hot, close and moist;" it is ultimately swelter + -y (2), either as a contraction of sweltry or from the obsolete verb sulter "to swelter" (1580s), itself an alteration of swelter. The figurative sense of "hot with lust" is attested fro
    acid
    1620s, "of the taste of vinegar," from French acide (16c.) or directly from Latin acidus "sour, sharp, tart" (also figurative, "disagreeable," etc.), adjective of state from acere "to be sour, be sharp" (from PIE root *ak- "be sharp, rise (out) to a point, pierce"). Figurative us
    acrid
    1712, "sharp and bitter to the taste," formed irregularly (perhaps by influence of acrimonious) from Latin acer (fem. acris) "sharp to the senses, pungent, bitter; eager, fierce," also figuratively, of qualities, "active, ardent, spirited," also "hasty, quick, passionate;" of min
    bitter
    Old English biter "having a harsh taste, sharp, cutting; angry, full of animosity; cruel," from Proto-Germanic *bitras- (source also of Old Saxon bittar, Old Norse bitr, Dutch bitter, Old High German bittar, German bitter, Gothic baitrs "bitter"), from suffixed form of PIE root *
    caustic
    c. 1400, "capable of burning or destroying organic tissue, corrosive," from Latin causticus "burning, caustic," from Greek kaustikos "capable of burning; corrosive," from kaustos "combustible; burnt," verbal adjective from kaiein, the Greek word for "to burn" (transitive and intr
    hegemony
    1560s, "preponderance, dominance, leadership," originally of predominance of one city state or another in Greek history; from Greek hēgemonia "leadership, a leading the way, a going first;" also "the authority or sovereignty of one city-state over a number of others," as Athens i
    bohemian
    "a gypsy of society; person (especially an artist) who lives a free and somewhat dissipated life, despising conventionalities and having little regard for social standards," 1848, from a transferred sense of French bohemién "a Bohemian; a Gypsy," from the country name (see Bohemi
    terrific
    1660s, "frightening," from Latin terrificus "causing terror or fear, frightful," from terrere "fill with fear" (see terrible) + combining form of facere "to make" (from PIE root *dhe- "to set, put"). Weakened sensed of "very great, severe" (as in terrific headache) appeared 1809;
    inexorable
    "unyielding, unrelenting," 1550s, from French inexorable and directly from Latin inexorabilis "that cannot be moved by entreaty, unyielding," from in- "not, opposite of" (see in- (1)) + exorabilis "able to be entreated," from exorare "to prevail upon," from ex "out" (see ex-) + ō
    adjective
    "word used to qualify, limit, or define a noun or noun-like part of speech," late 14c., short for noun adjective, from Old French adjectif (14c.), from Latin adjectivum "that is added to (the noun)," neuter of adjectivus "added," past participle of adicere "throw to, fling at, th

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