brimstone

C2 Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ˈbɹɪmstoʊn/ UK /ˈbɹɪmstəʊn/ See IPA manual

Freq #25672

Meanings

1

noun
An old name for the element sulfur.

The old chemistry text still referred to sulfur as brimstone.
2

noun
The fire and sulfur of hell; damnation.

The preacher warned of fire and brimstone for those who sinned.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · an old name for the element... native sulfur

Word family

Forms brimstones

Derived forms brimstonewortbrimstony

Etymology

From Middle English brymston, brimston, bremston, forms of brinston, brenston, bernston, from Old English brynstān (“brimstone”, literally “burn-stone”), equivalent to brian + stone, or burn + stone. Cognate with Scots brunstane (“brimstone”), Icelandic brennisteinn (“sulfur / sulphur, brimstone”), German Bernstein (“amber”). Compare also brimfire. More at burn, stone. Although once a synonym for sulfur, the word is now largely restricted to poetic and Biblical usage.

brymston Middle English brynstān Old English

View etymology graph ->

External links

# brimstone

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈbɹɪmstoʊn/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈbɹɪmstəʊn/
**Frequency rank:** 25672

## Meanings
1. An old name for the element sulfur.
2. The fire and sulfur of hell; damnation.

## Examples
- The old chemistry text still referred to sulfur as brimstone.
- The preacher warned of fire and brimstone for those who sinned.

## Derived Forms
- brimstonewort
- brimstony

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: brymston
- Root: brynstān

## Etymology
From Middle English brymston, brimston, bremston, forms of brinston, brenston, bernston, from Old English brynstān (“brimstone”, literally “burn-stone”), equivalent to brian + stone, or burn + stone. Cognate with Scots brunstane (“brimstone”), Icelandic brennisteinn (“sulfur / sulphur, brimstone”), German Bernstein (“amber”). Compare also brimfire. More at burn, stone. Although once a synonym for sulfur, the word is now largely restricted to poetic and Biblical usage.

## AI Etymology
Brimstone is from Middle English brymston, brimston, bremston, forms of brinston, brenston, bernston, from Old English brynstān (“brimstone”, literally “burn-stone”), equivalent to brian + stone, or burn + stone. Cognate with Scots brunstane (“brimstone”), Icelandic brennisteinn (“sulfur / sulphur, brimstone”), German Bernstein (“amber”). Compare also brimfire. More at burn, stone. Although once a synonym for sulfur, the word is now largely restricted to poetic and Biblical usage. The analysis is mainly morphological: the modern nominal form is built from the named base and affix. Important recorded forms include brymston (Middle English) and brynstān (Old English). Current senses include an old name for the element sulfur and the fire and sulfur of hell; damnation. The wider family includes derived forms such as brimstonewort and brimstony.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities

markdown

brimstone

Meanings

Thesaurus

Etymology

Topics

External links

Keyboard Shortcuts

General

Send feedback