sulfur

[ suhl-fer ]

/ ˈsʌl fər /

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noun

Also especially British, sulphur. Chemistry. a nonmetallic element that exists in several forms, the ordinary one being a yellow rhombic crystalline solid, and that burns with a blue flame and a suffocating odor: used especially in making gunpowder and matches, in medicine, in vulcanizing rubber, etc. Symbol: S; atomic weight: 32.064; atomic number: 16; specific gravity: 2.07 at 20° C.

sulphur (def. 2).

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Origin of sulfur

1300–50; Middle English sulphur<Latin sulpur, sulphur, sulfur brimstone, sulfur

Words nearby sulfur

sulfonic, sulfonic acid, sulfonium, sulfonyl, sulfoxide, sulfur, sulfurate, sulfurated potash, sulfur bacteria, sulfur butterfly, sulfur dioxide

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use sulfur in a sentence

Instead they generate energy for their metabolism by chemically changing … sulfur that they ingest.
Readers ask about life on Venus and high-energy cosmic rays|Science News Staff|November 29, 2020|Science News
They combined a mixture of hydrogen, carbon, and sulfur then fired a laser at it to trigger a chemical reaction and create a crystal.
Scientists Just Achieved Room Temperature Superconductivity for the First Time|Edd Gent|October 19, 2020|Singularity Hub
A laser was shined at the compound for several hours to break down bonds between the sulfur atoms, thus changing the chemistry of the system and the behavior of electrons in the sample.
Room-temperature superconductivity has been achieved for the first time|Niall Firth|October 14, 2020|MIT Technology Review
The hydrogen, carbon and sulfur compound operates as a superconductor at up to 59 degrees Fahrenheit, the team reported today in Nature.
Room-Temperature Superconductivity Achieved for the First Time|Charlie Wood|October 14, 2020|Quanta Magazine

Dias and colleagues formed the superconductor by squeezing carbon, hydrogen and sulfur between the tips of two diamonds and hitting the material with laser light to induce chemical reactions.
The first room-temperature superconductor has finally been found|Emily Conover|October 14, 2020|Science News
One easy way to build them back up is to take a bath with Epsom salts, which contain sulfur.
5 Healthier Ways to Detox (That Aren’t Juice Cleanses)|DailyBurn|February 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Sulfur boosts glutathione because glutathione is, in part, made up of sulfur molecules, explains Hyman.
5 Healthier Ways to Detox (That Aren’t Juice Cleanses)|DailyBurn|February 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Pfifferling, like most natural wine producers, adds no sulfur dioxide aside from minimal amounts when he bottles the wine.
The No Hangover Wine|Jordan Salcito|November 17, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The initial cause was probably a Siberian mega-volcano that spewed highly reflective sulfur particles into the atmosphere.
It’s the End of the World but We’ll Be Fine|Nick Romeo|May 18, 2013|DAILY BEAST
After he inhaled sulfur hexafluoride, a compound that acts like helium, his voice got very deep.
The Anger Over ‘Tranny,’ From Neil Patrick Harris to RuPaul to Dan Savage|Tricia Romano|January 30, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Myiodynastes luteiventris luteiventris Sclater: Sulfur-bellied Flycatcher.
Summer Birds From the Yucatan Peninsula|Erwin E. Klaas
They will order spelling according to the Standard Dictionary, yet will not accept sulfur, rime, or worshiping.
The Building of a Book|Various
Parallel with it runs an aqueduct which supplied the works with motive power, derived probably from the sulfur springs.
Seeing Europe with Famous Authors, Volume 7|Various
After breaking, four grains of powdered sulfur to twenty-two gallons of milk are added.
The Book of Cheese|Charles Thom and Walter Warner Fisk
We omitted sulfur from the later sprays and did not note any more burning.
Northern Nut Growers Association Report of the Proceedings at the Thirty-Eighth Annual Meeting|Northern Nut Growers Association

British Dictionary definitions for sulfur

sulfur

/ (ˈsʌlfə) /

noun

the US preferred spelling of sulphur

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for sulfur

sulfur

A pale-yellow, brittle nonmetallic element that occurs widely in nature, especially in volcanic deposits, minerals, natural gas, and petroleum. It is used to make gunpowder and fertilizer, to vulcanize rubber, and to produce sulfuric acid. Atomic number 16; atomic weight 32.066; melting point (rhombic) 112.8°C; (monoclinic) 119.0°C; boiling point 444.6°C; specific gravity (rhombic) 2.07; (monoclinic) 1.957; valence 2, 4, 6. See Periodic Table.