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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It Doesn't Take a Genius
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Dealing with Dragons
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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.
Jofra Archer is England's spearhead and captain Ben Stokes must demand the fire and brimstone he produced at the end of the day-night Test.
From BBC ● Dec. 11, 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
Fire and brimstone coming down from the skies, rivers and seas boiling, human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together, there will be plagues and mass hysteria ... real Peter Venkman end-of-the-world stuff.
From Salon ● May 18, 2023
Sanders began Wednesday's hearing with his usual fire and brimstone.
From Salon ● Mar. 26, 2023
I read all about Sodom and Gomorrah, had questions about the nature of brimstone.
From "The Miseducation of Cameron Post" by emily m. danforth
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.
