vitriol
Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
vitriol /ˈvɪtrɪəl/
▶noun
- 1 archaic or literary sulphuric acid.
■ in names of metallic sulphates, e.g. blue vitriol (copper sulphate) and green vitriol (ferrous sulphate).
- 2 extreme bitterness or malice.
– origin ME (denoting the sulphate of various metals): from OFr., or from med. L. vitriolum, from L. vitrum ‘glass’.
'vitriol' also found in these Oxford entries:
