brimstone
Americannoun
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an obsolete name for sulphur
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a common yellow butterfly, Gonepteryx rhamni , of N temperate regions of the Old World: family Pieridae
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archaic a scolding nagging woman; virago
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of brimstone
before 1150; Middle English brinston, etc., late Old English brynstān. See burn 1, stone
Explanation
Brimstone is an old-fashioned word for sulfur, a chemical that's used to make matches, among other things. Brimstone is derived from the Old English brynstan and a root meaning "to burn." These days, few people refer to the non-metallic chemical element sulfur this way, but are more likely to use the word in the Biblical phrase "fire and brimstone." The burning smell of a lightning strike — and the association of lightning with divine punishment — produced the connection between burning sulfur, or brimstone, and God's wrath.
Vocabulary lists containing brimstone
Vocabulary from Readings 1, Unit 2
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Hell isn’t fire and brimstone after all; it’s wallpaper, beige carpet and drop ceilings.
From Salon • May 30, 2026
If there was any doubt whether he could get back to his heights of six years ago, they were answered in 30 deliveries of fire and brimstone.
From BBC • Jul. 11, 2025
In our modern dystopia, fire and brimstone have been replaced by ones and zeroes.
From Salon • May 24, 2025
Televangelists such as Jimmy Swaggart, Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker, and Kenneth Copeland were preaching fire and brimstone and the importance of tithing.
From Slate • Feb. 21, 2025
The air stank of burning wool and brimstone.
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
