Where does “vitriol” come from?

Vitriol comes from Old French vitriol, from Latin vitriolum, from Latin vitrum meaning "glass," tracing back through Proto-Italic wedro- to Proto-Indo-European wed-ro- and ultimately to the root wed-.

vitriol (English): Sulphuric acid and various metal sulphates;...

Definitions

  1. Sulphuric acid and various metal sulphates;...

Ancestry of “vitriol”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Frenchvitriol—
2Latinvitriolumvitriol
3Latinvitrumglass; a woad; a plant used for dying blue; woad;...
4Proto-Italicwedromglass
5Proto-Indo-Europeanwedro-water-like
6Proto-Indo-Europeanwed-water
7Proto-Indo-Europeanwey-to wither; fade; to move, go ahead; to be strong;...

Words derived from “vitriol”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European wey- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European wed- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European wedro- →