Word
sulfur
Phoneticssul·fur
US/ˈsəɫfɝ/
UK/sˈʌlfɜː/
UK spelling · Sulphur
Definitions
01chemical element
n. a bright yellow chemical element that smells like rotten eggs when it is part of a compound or burned.
n. a multivalent non-metallic chemical element, atomic number 16, which is essential for life and used industrially in the production of sulfuric acid and gunpowder.
“The hot springs gave off a strong smell of sulfur that filled the valley.”
“Sulfur is a key component in the vulcanization of rubber, a process that significantly enhances the material's durability and heat resistance.”
Technical
Usage
Uncountable when referring to the chemical element.
Pitfall
The air smelled like a sulfur.
The air smelled like sulfur.
When referring to the element itself, the noun is uncountable and does not take an indefinite article.
Synonyms
02a type of butterfly
n. a type of butterfly that is usually bright yellow or greenish-yellow.
n. any of various pierid butterflies belonging to the subfamily Coliadinae, characterized by their distinct yellow or orange wings.
“We saw a bright yellow sulfur landing on the flowers in the garden.”
“The clouded sulfur is a common sight in North American clover fields during the mid-summer months.”
Technical
Usage
Countable in this biological sense.
03yellow-green color
adj. having a pale, yellowish-green color like the element sulfur.
adj. denoting a specific pale yellowish-green hue resembling the natural appearance of elemental sulfur.
“The sky turned a strange sulfur color just before the storm began.”
“The artist used sulfur highlights to create a sickly, atmospheric glow across the stagnant pond in the painting.”
Literary
Synonyms
04to treat with sulfur
v. to use sulfur to clean something or to keep pests away from plants.
v. to treat, fumigate, or preserve a substance or plant by applying sulfur or sulfur dioxide.
“The farmer decided to sulfur the vines to protect them from fungus.”
“Traditional winemakers sometimes sulfur the oak barrels to prevent the growth of unwanted bacteria before storage.”
Technical
Usage
Transitive verb taking a direct object.
Synonyms
Real-World Examples
“The effect is strongest where sulphur pollution has fallen fastest.” “Euro 2 contains up to 50 times more sulphur than modern Euro 5 and was banned in Russia in 2013.” Etymology
From Middle English sulphur, borrowed from Anglo-Norman sulfre, from Latin sulfur, from sulpur itself of uncertain origin. Displaced Old English swefl and largely displaced brimstone.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
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englishreference.com/q/sulfur