Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “brimstone” come from?

Brimstone comes from Middle English brimston, from Middle English brenston, from Old English brynstān, a compound of bryne meaning burning and stān meaning stone.

brimstone (English): The sulfur of Hell; Hell, damnation; Sulfur; A...

Definitions

  1. The sulfur of Hell; Hell, damnation; Sulfur; A...

Ancestry of “brimstone”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishbrymstonsulphur; The burning sulphur of Hell
2Old Englishbrynstānbrimstone

Words derived from “brimstone”

  • brimstonewort
Every word from Old English brynstān →