Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “sulfur” come from?

Sulfur comes from Old French sulfre, from Latin sulfur, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European swel- meaning to burn or shine.

sulfur (English): A chemical element with an atomic number of 16;...

Definitions

  1. A chemical element with an atomic number of 16;...

Ancestry of “sulfur”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishsulphur—
2Anglo-Normansulfresulphur
3Latinsulphursulfur, brimstone; lightning
4LatinsulpurArchaic form of sulphur
5Proto-Indo-Europeanswelplos—
6Proto-Indo-Europeanswel-to smolder; burn; scorch; beam, board, frame,...

Words derived from “sulfur”

  • sulfurous
  • desulfurization
  • sulfotransferase
  • nonsulfur
  • sulphury
  • desulphurization
  • sulphuryl
  • sulfosuccinate
  • sulfurylase
  • sulfolipid
  • organosulfur
  • sulfinic
  • hydrodesulfurization
  • sulfonium
  • sulfuryl
  • sulfosalicylic
  • desulfuration
  • unsulfured
  • desulfurase
  • sulfinate
  • sulfotyrosine
  • sulforhodamine
  • sulfury
  • sulfopropyl
Every word from Proto-Indo-European swel- →