sulphureous

S1U1L1P3H4U1R1E1O1U1S1
UK/sʌlˈf(j)ɔːɹɪəs/

adjective

Sulphurous.

Scrabble 16

Meanings

adjectivesulphureous (comparative more sulphureous, superlative most sulphureous)

comparative more sulphureous · superlative most sulphureous · alternative sulfureous

  1. UKarchaicSulphurous.

    An excited and highly distempered ideality threw a sulphureous lustre over all.

    1839, Edgar Allan Poe, The Fall of the House of Usher
    3 more examples

    Thy blazing hearths, / From deep sulphureous pits, consumeless stores / Of fuel boast.

    1754, Robert Dodsley, Public Virtue, page 46

    The plain of Naples is the image of human passions; sulphureous and fertile; its dangers and its pleasures seem born of these fiery volcanoes, which give the air so many charms, and cause the thunderbolt to growl beneath our feet.

    1807, [Germaine] de Staël Holstein, translated by D[ennis] Lawler, “[[Book XIII. Vesuvius and the plain of Naples.] Chap[ter] IV.] The extempore effusion of Corinna on the Plain of Naples.”, in Corinna; or, Italy. […], volume III, London: […] Corri, […]; and sold by Colburn, […], and Mackenzie, […], →OCLC, page 236

    The next morning I went to see the hot-springs and mud volcanoes, for which this place is celebrated. A picturesque path among plantations and ravines brought us to a beautiful circular basin about forty feet in diameter, bordered by a calcareous ledge, so uniform and truly curved, that it looked like a work of art. It was filled with clear water very near the boiling point, and emitted clouds of steam with a strong sulphureous odour.

    1869, Alfred Russel Wallace, The Malay Archipelago, volume I, London: Macmillan and Co., page 405

Origin

  1. Latinsulphureus
  2. Englishsulphureous

From Latin sulphureus, sulfureus.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

sulphureous. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sulphureous

MLA

“sulphureous.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sulphureous. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “sulphureous,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sulphureous.

Source: sulphureous on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.