sulfur
(sul′fər)
noun
- a pale-yellow, nonmetallic chemical element found in crystalline or amorphous form: it burns with a blue flame and a stifling odor and is used in vulcanizing rubber and in making matches, paper, gunpowder, insecticides, sulfuric acid, etc.: symbol, S; at. no., 16
- any of numerous small to medium-sized butterflies (family Pieridae) having yellow or orange wings with dark borders
- yellow with a greenish tinge: often
Origin:
ME sulphur < L
transitive verb
sulfurize
See sulfur in American Heritage Dictionary 4
also sul·phur
noun Symbol S A pale yellow nonmetallic element occurring widely in nature in several free and combined allotropic forms. It is used in black gunpowder, rubber vulcanization, the manufacture of insecticides and pharmaceuticals, and in the preparation of sulfur compounds such as hydrogen sulfide and 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 Table at
element.
also
sul·phured,
sul·fur·ing also
sul·phur·ing,
sul·furs also
sul·phurs To treat with sulfur or a compound of sulfur.
Origin:
Origin: Middle English
Origin: , from Anglo-Norman sulfre
Origin: , from Latin sulfur
.
Learn more about sulfur