Meanings
- dateduncountablechemistrySulfuric acid.
Sweet oil of vitriol is sweet indeed, but its seductive nature can be dangerous.
2014, Theodore Gray, photography by Nick Mann, Molecules: The Elements and the Architecture of Everything, Paperback 2018 Edition, page 27Synonyms: vitriol
Synonyms & antonyms
nounSulfuric acid.
More synonyms by meaning
noun(H2SO4) a highly corrosive acid made from sulfur dioxide; widely used in the chemical industry
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
So called from its oily consistency and from its forming the “vitriols” or sulfates. This term was coined by the 8th-century alchemist Jabir ibn Hayyan, the chemical's probable discoverer.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic زَيت الزّاج
- زَيت الزّاج (zayt az-zāj)alternative name for "sulphuric acid"
Finnish vihtrilliöljy
- vihtrilliöljyalternative name for "sulphuric acid"
Cite this entry
oil of vitriol. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/oil%20of%20vitriol
“oil of vitriol.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/oil%20of%20vitriol. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “oil of vitriol,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/oil%20of%20vitriol.
Source: oil of vitriol on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.