Vitriol
/ˈvɪtri.əl/noun
A highly corrosive sulfuric acid or a cutting, bitter remark.
Did you know?Medieval alchemists used vitriol as a mystical code-word for sulfate salts, and the famous alchemical maxim VITRIOL was later turned into an esoteric acronym: Visita Interiora Terrae Rectificando Invenies Occultum Lapidem ('Visit the interior of the earth, and by rectifying, you will find the hidden stone').
Etymological Timeline
Latin (classical)
Latin
vitrum
“glass”
Late Latin
Latin
vitriolum
“green vitriol; sulfate salts, especially iron sulfate”
Middle French
French
vitriol
“vitriol; a corrosive sulfate compound”
14th–15th Century
English
vitriol
“a sulfate salt used in alchemy and chemistry”
Modern English
English
vitriol
“corrosive sulfuric acid; bitter, caustic speech”
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