a. Also 6 sulpherus, -urus, 6–7 -erous, 7 sulferous, 7–8 sulph’rous, 7, 9 (U.S.) sulfurous. [ad. L. sulphurōsus (whence OF. sulphureux, from 14th cent.), or f. SULPHUR sb. + -OUS. In sense 5 ad. mod.F. sulfureux (Nomencl. Chimique, 1787).]
1. = SULPHUREOUS 1.
1530. Palsgr., 326/2. Sulpherus, of the nature of brimston, sulphureux.
1582. Stanyhurst, Æneis, II. (Arb.), 66. Eech path was fulsoom with sent of sulphurus orpyn.
1612. Woodall, Surg. Mate, Wks. (1653), 221. Aqua vitæ is the Sulphurous part of Wine.
1635. Swan, Spec. Mundi, v. § 2 (1643), 122. Lightning … cometh from sulfurous and other poysonous metallick substances.
1686. Lond. Gaz., No. 2163/2. Fire-balls, and other Sulphurous Fire-works.
1825. Scott, Talism., i. The slimy and sulphurous substance called naphtha.
1872. Crookes, trans. Wagner’s Handbk. Chem. Technol., 257. Alum-shale or schist is a sulphurous iron pyrites.
1879. Farrar, St. Paul (1883), 484. Amid the sulphurous storm, she gazed back on the voluptuous ease of the City of the Plain.
b. = SULPHUREOUS 1 b.
1815. J. Smith, Panorama Sci. & Art, II. 489. The waters called sulphurous, contain sulphuretted hydrogen.
1856. Page, Adv. Text-bk. Geol., iii. 34. Sulphurous mud-springs.
2. = SULPHUREOUS 2.
1607. Dekker, Knt.’s Conjur., V. G iij. A Sulphurous stench.
1625. trans. Camden’s Hist. Eliz., II. 420. The Ile of Folgo, which casteth out sulphurous [ed. 1630 sulphury] flames.
1683. Tryon, Way to Health, 68. The sulpherous moist Vapours, which are of a fierce and sharp Nature are evaporated.
1748. Anson’s Voy., I. x. 104. A strong sulphurous stench.
1868. Miss Braddon, Dead-sea Fruit, ii. I. 18. The sulphurous odours of a brickfield.
b. Applied to thunder and lightning (poet.), † hence to thundery or sultry weather. Also occas. volcanic. Cf. SULPHUREOUS 2 b.
1603. Shaks., Meas. for M., II. ii. 115. Mercifull heauen, Thou rather with thy sharpe and sulpherous bolt Splits the … gnarled Oke, Then the soft Mertill. Ibid. (1610), Temp., I. ii. 204. Cracks Of sulphurous roaring.
1634. Sir T. Herbert, Trav., 7. The weather was very sulphurous and raging hot.
1660. Hickeringill, Jamaica (1661), 4. I have found the Aire as sulferous and hot in England … as in the hottest seasons at Iamaica.
1667. Milton, P. L., I. 171. The Sulphurous Hail Shot after us in storm.
1817. Shelley, Rev. Islam, II. xiv. A sulphurous hill.
1820. Wordsw., San Salvador, 5. Sink (if thou must) as heretofore, To sulphurous bolts a sacrifice.
c. Of or belonging to (the smoke of) gunpowder.
1620. Dekker, Dreame, 6. The Canons Sulphurous thundering.
1622. Drayton, Poly-olb., xxix. 264. When Edenbrough and Leeth, into the air were blown With powder’s sulphurous smoke.
1801. Campbell, Hohenlinden, 24. Where furious Frank and fiery Hun Shout in their sulphurous canopy.
1816. Byron, Siege of Corinth, xxix. From every crevice comes the shot; From every shatter’d window pour The volleys of the sulphurous shower.
3. allusively and fig. a. Pertaining to sulphur or brimstone as an adjunct of hell or the infernal regions; hellish, satanic. Also, pertaining to or dealing with hell-fire.
1602. Shaks., Ham., I. v. 3. When I to sulphurous and tormenting Flames Must render vp my selfe. Ibid. (1605), Lear, IV. vi. 130. There’s hell, there’s darkenes, there is the sulphurous pit.
1682. Creech, trans. Lucretius, III. 26. No Hell, no sulphurous Lakes.
1812. Shelley, Devil’s Walk, 138. His sulphurous Majesty.
1816. Southey, Poet’s Pilgr., I. i. 4. Like Satan rising from the sulphurous flood.
1886. H. W. Beecher, in Christ. World Pulpit, XXIX. 76/1. Their hands [sc. pirates’] are red with blood; their hearts are sulphurous.
1903. J. C. Smith, in Robt. Wallace: Life & Last Leaves, 126. He thought his heart was sound and kind enough to neutralise all the sulphurous theology of the North of Scotland.
b. In immaterial sense: Fiery, heated.
1611. B. Jonson, Catiline, III. G 3. She ha’s a sulphurous spirit, and will take Light at a sparke.
a. 1628. Sir J. Beaumont, Agst. Abused Love, 87. And with a pandar’s sulph’rous breath inflam’d, Became a meteor, for destruction fram’d.
1650. Hubbert, Pill Formality, 138. Contaminating his body with lewd and lothsom Harlots, satisfying and quenching his sulphurous lust in dirty puddles.
1858. Carlyle, Fredk. Gt., X. ii. II. 583. Duc de Rohan rose, in a sulphurous frame of mind.
c. Of language, expression: Characterized by heat; in recent use, blasphemous, profane.
[1616: see SULPHURIOUS quot. 1599.]
1818. Carlyle, Misc. (1857), I. 78. And so on through many other sulphurous pages.
1865. J. G. Holland, Plain Talk, ii. 69. The sulphurous satire which he points with such deadly fire at the very Society which makes him fashionable.
1879. [see SULPHUROUSLY].
1897. C. Morley, Stud. Board Schools, 3. He used strong language … sulphurous words, and the very biggest D’s, I was assured.
4. = SULPHUREOUS 4. Also advb.
1837. Carlyle, Fr. Rev., I. II. viii. Burning sulphurous-blue,… it still shines.
1899. W. T. Greene, Cage-Birds, 50. The Sulphurous Finch.
1908. Daily Chron., 17 June, 6/5. Her dress of sulphurous green cloth.
5. Chem. Designating compounds in which sulphur is present in a larger proportion than in sulphuric compounds. Sulphurous acid: (a) more fully, sulphurous acid gas († air), an old name for sulphur dioxide; (b) the acid (H2SO3) resulting from the combination of sulphur dioxide with water. Sulphurous oxide or anhydride: sulphur dioxide, SO2, a transparent colorless gas with a pungent and suffocating smell, obtained by burning sulphur in dry air or oxygen. Hence, designating compounds derived from sulphurous acid, as sulphurous chloride, ether.
1790. Kerr, trans. Lavoisier’s Elem. Chem., Pref. p. xxviii. The sulphurous combinations. Ibid., 223. The sulphurous acid is formed by the union of oxygen with sulphur by a lesser degree of oxygenation than the sulphuric acid.
1812. Sir H. Davy, Chem. Philos., Wks. 1840, IV. 25. Sulphurous acid air.
1823. Faraday, Exp. Res., xx. 89. Mercury, and concentrated sulphuric acid were sealed up in a bent tube and … heat was carefully applied. Sulphurous acid gas was produced where the heat acted.
1848. Fownes, Man. Elem. Chem. (ed. 2), 392. Sulphurous ether; AeO,SO2.
1868. Watts, Dict. Chem., V. 540. Sulphurous Oxide, or Sulphurous Anhydride, SO2. Ibid., 542. Sulphurous Chloride, SOCl2 Chloride of Thionyl. Sulphurous Chloraldehyde.
1897. H. Aldersmith, Ringworm (ed. 4), 185. Sulphurous acid … is an excellent parasiticide.
Hence Sulphurously adv., in a sulphurous manner; esp. with ‘sulphurous’ language.
1879. Frances H. Burnett, Haworth’s, II. vii. 81. Haworth stopped him by swearing again, something more sulphurously than before.
1891. Farrar, Darkn. & Dawn, II. 218. The morning dawned sulphurously hot.
1897. Anne Page, Afternoon Ride, 73. Dr. Browne sulphurously insisting on his wife receiving this ‘lady’ with cordiality.
