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
- Of or pertaining to vitriol; derived from or...
Ancestry of “vitriolic”, step by step
vitriolic traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English vitriol
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | vitriol | Sulphuric acid and various metal sulphates;... |
| 2 | Old French | vitriol | — |
| 3 | Latin | vitriolum | vitriol |
| 4 | Latin | vitrum | glass; a woad; a plant used for dying blue; woad;... |
| 5 | Proto-Italic | wedrom | glass |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | wedro- | water-like |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | wed- | water |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | wey- | to wither; fade; to move, go ahead; to be strong;... |
via French vitriolique
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | vitriolique | — |