vitriol
/ˈvɪtɹiəl/ noun, verb
Forms vitriols vitrioling vitriolling vitrioled vitriolled
- noun (dated) Any of various metal sulphates.
- noun (dated) oil of vitriol (sulfuric acid).
- noun (by extension) Bitterly abusive language.
- verb (transitive) To subject to bitter verbal abuse.
- verb (transitive, metallurgy) To dip in dilute sulfuric acid; to pickle.
- verb (transitive, colloquial) To vitriolize.
Synonyms
abuse call names vituperate flame name-call revile oil of vitriol sulfuric acid sulphuric acid vituperation invective
Etymology
From Middle English vitriol, from Old French vitriol, from Medieval Latin vitriolum (“sulfuric acid”), from vitrum (“glass”).
Webster’s 1913
Etymology [F. vitriol; cf. Pr. vitriol, vetriol, Sp. & Pg. vitriolo, It. vitriuolo; fr. L. vitreolus of glass, vitreus vitreous. See Vitreous.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “vitriol”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details