Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “vitriolic” come from?

Vitriolic comes from English vitriol with the suffix -ique from French, ultimately derived from Latin -icus and Proto-Indo-European -kos and wed-.

vitriolic (English): Of or pertaining to vitriol; derived from or...

Definitions

  1. Of or pertaining to vitriol; derived from or...

Ancestry of “vitriolic”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishvitriolSulphuric acid and various metal sulphates;...
2Old Frenchvitriol—
3Latinvitriolumvitriol
4Latinvitrumglass; a woad; a plant used for dying blue; woad;...
5Proto-Italicwedromglass
6Proto-Indo-Europeanwedro-water-like
7Proto-Indo-Europeanwed-water
8Proto-Indo-Europeanwey-to wither; fade; to move, go ahead; to be strong;...

Words derived from “vitriolic”

  • vitriolically
  • unvitriolic
Every word from Proto-Indo-European wey- →