brimstone
brimstone Lexical Profile
brimstone Game Scores & Validity
• noun
An archaic or literary name for sulfur, especially in religious contexts referring to the fires of hell or divine wrath.
"The preacher's sermon was filled with warnings of fire and brimstone for those who strayed from the path."
A pierid butterfly of the genus Gonepteryx, native to Europe, Asia, and North Africa, having leaf-shaped wings that are bright sulfur-yellow in the male and greenish-white in the female.
"In early spring, a bright yellow brimstone fluttered across the woodland clearing."
Word Nuance & Usage
While scientifically identical to sulfur, 'brimstone' is now used almost exclusively in biblical, literary, or rhetorical contexts, particularly in the idiom 'fire and brimstone'.
Word Origin & Etymology
From Middle English 'brynstan', derived from Old English 'brynstan' or Old Norse 'brennisteinn', literally meaning 'burning stone' from the root of 'burn' plus 'stone'.