sulfur

[ suhl-fer ]

/ ˈsʌl fər /

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).

Nearby words

Origin of sulfur

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for sulfur

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
These are nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and (possibly) sulfur.
The Chemistry of Plant Life|Roscoe Wilfred Thatcher
The pyrites are plentiful and produce exportable quantities of sulfur and sulfur products.
Area Handbook for Bulgaria|Eugene K. Keefe, Violeta D. Baluyut, William Giloane, Anne K. Long, James M. Moore, and Neda A. Walpole

A sulfid is a combination of sulfur with a metal or other body.
Tin Foil and Its Combinations for Filling Teeth|Henry L. Ambler
The nitrogen and sulfur come from the salts absorbed from the soil through the roots and brought to the active cells in the sap.
The Chemistry of Plant Life|Roscoe Wilfred Thatcher
In an ecstatic, semistuporous state, smelling strongly of sulfur dioxide, he couldn't have been aware of me.
Question of Comfort|Les Collins

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

Word Origin and History for sulfur

sulfur

also sulphur, c.1300, from Old French soufre (13c.), from Late Latin sulfur, from Latin sulphur, probably from a root meaning "to burn." Ousted native brimstone and cognate Old English swefl.

Medicine definitions for sulfur

sulfur

n. Symbol S

A yellow nonmetallic element occurring widely in nature in several free and combined allotropic forms and used in the manufacture of pharmaceuticals and many sulfur compounds, especially sulfuric acid. Atomic number 16.

Science definitions for sulfur

sulfur

S

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.