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
- A chemical element with an atomic number of 16;...
Ancestry of “sulfur”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | sulphur | sulfur |
| 2 | Anglo-Norman | sulfre | sulphur |
| 3 | Latin | sulphur | sulfur, brimstone; lightning |
| 4 | Latin | sulpur | Archaic form of sulphur |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | swelplos | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | swel- | to smolder; burn; scorch; beam, board, frame,... |
Words derived from “sulfur”