VITRIOL


Meaning of VITRIOL in English

[ 'vɪtrɪəl ]

■ noun

1》 archaic or literary sulphuric acid.

↘in names of metallic sulphates, e.g. blue ~ (copper sulphate) and green ~ (ferrous sulphate).

2》 extreme bitterness or malice.

Origin

ME (denoting the sulphate of various metals): from OFr., or from med. L. ~um , from L. vitrum 'glass'.

Concise Oxford English vocab.      Сжатый оксфордский словарь английского языка.