Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun Any of various sulfates of metals, such as ferrous sulfate, zinc sulfate, or copper sulfate.
- noun Bitterly abusive feeling or expression.
- transitive verb To expose or subject to vitriol.
from The Century Dictionary.
- To cleanse from grease, dirt, or loose oxid scale on a metal surface by dipping in a bath of dilute sulphuric acid; pickle.
- noun Sulphuric acid, or one of many of its compounds, which in certain states have a glassy appearance.
- noun Ferric sulphate: same as
colcothar . Also calledvitriol of Mars .
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- transitive verb (Metal.) To dip in dilute sulphuric acid; to pickle.
- transitive verb colloq. To vitriolize.
- noun colloq., colloq. A sulphate of any one of certain metals, as copper, iron, zinc, cobalt. So called on account of the glassy appearance or luster.
- noun colloq. Sulphuric acid; -- called also
oil of vitriol . So called because first made by the distillation of green vitriol. See Sulphuric acid, undersulphuric . - noun See under
Blue . - noun ferrous sulphate; copperas. See under
Green . - noun sulphuric or vitriolic acid; -- popularly so called because it has the consistency of oil.
- noun a native sulphate of cobalt.
- noun ferric sulphate, a white crystalline substance which dissolves in water, forming a red solution.
- noun zinc sulphate, a white crystalline substance used in medicine and in dyeing. It is usually obtained by dissolving zinc in sulphuric acid, or by roasting and oxidizing certain zinc ores. Formerly called also
vitriol of zinc .
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun dated
sulphuric acid and variousmetal sulphates - noun by extension
bitterly abusive language - verb to subject someone to bitter
verbal abuse
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun abusive or venomous language used to express blame or censure or bitter deep-seated ill will
- noun (H2SO4) a highly corrosive acid made from sulfur dioxide; widely used in the chemical industry
- verb expose to the effects of vitriol or injure with vitriol
- verb subject to bitter verbal abuse
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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The term vitriol is also an acronym for "Visita Interiora Terrae Rectificando Invenies Occultum Lapidem Visit the interior of the earth, and by rectifying you will find the hidden stone."
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Both suits are pending, with a hearing set for Oct. 14 in state Superior Court in Napa in one of the cases, but the vitriol is already flying.
Land Dispute Blooms in Wine Country Jim Carlton 2010
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This vitriol is a sign that we are still crabs in a barrel.
Good 'Hair?' Hardly. How Chris Rock gets it wrong | EW.com 2009
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Your vitriol is almost always concentrated on those not left ENOUGH.
Think Progress » Santorum excuses Graham’s anti-Muslim comments, calls them ‘reasonable.’ 2010
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The more marginalized these people become and the more vitriol is broadcast, the greater the danger of more incidents.
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And with regard to the wing-nuts, the anti-Pelosi vitriol is in full gear.
Matthew Yglesias » Conservatives’ Unhinged Attacks on Nancy Pelosi 2009
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In March, TFP went under, prompting an unprecedented storm of online vitriol from the very community it had courted.
Publishing Maxine 2009
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Actually, a lot of vitriol is being directed against Egypt for maintaining the blockade.
The Volokh Conspiracy » Pollak on Uniquely Israeli Stupidity 2010
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A new report by the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights Education Fund was released yesterday showing a close correlation between the increase in vitriol rhetoric associated with the immigration debate and a troubling rise in hate crimes against Hispanics and those “perceived” as immigrants.
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The more marginalized these people become and the more vitriol is broadcast, the greater the danger of more incidents.
legios commented on the word vitriol
I like to "spew vitriolic hyperbole" while intoxicated. Usually of a misantropic inclination...
December 26, 2006
textkultur commented on the word vitriol
First she listened but when he began to spout vitriol she told him to leave.
March 12, 2008
agatehinge commented on the word vitriol
This word feels Sherlockian to me, as if the heyday of vitriol was the Victorian era.
March 11, 2010
reesetee commented on the word vitriol
Like contumely, maybe.
March 17, 2010
dailyword commented on the word vitriol
This was used on a former female client of Holmes's when she didn't want to do what Baron Gruner wanted her to do.
June 16, 2012
chained_bear commented on the word vitriol
Usage/historical note in comment on myrobolan.
November 28, 2017