SULFUR Definition & Meaning

sulfur

[suhl-fer]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

Chemistry.��Also a nonmetallic element that exists in several forms, the ordinary one being a yellow rhombic crystalline solid, and that burns with a blue flame and a suffocating odor: used especially in making gunpowder and matches, in medicine, in vulcanizing rubber, etc. S; 32.064; 16; 2.07 at 20° C.
sulphur.

sulfur

/ ˈ��ʌ��ə /

noun

the US preferred spelling of sulphur

sulfur

A pale-yellow, brittle nonmetallic element that occurs widely in nature, especially in volcanic deposits, minerals, natural gas, and petroleum. It is used to make gunpowder and fertilizer, to vulcanize rubber, and to produce sulfuric acid. Atomic number 16; atomic weight 32.066; melting point (rhombic) 112.8°C; (monoclinic) 119.0°C; boiling point 444.6°C; specific gravity (rhombic) 2.07; (monoclinic) 1.957; valence 2, 4, 6.
See Periodic Table

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51�Թ� History and Origins

Origin of sulfur¹

1300–50; Middle English sulphur < Latin sulpur, sulphur, sulfur brimstone, sulfur

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

They are formed when bacteria break down amino acids containing sulfur.

From

Dimethyl sulfide is the largest natural source of atmospheric sulfur on Earth, which means that it gets into the atmosphere and cycles around.

From

They're worried about PFAs plumes in their ground, poisoning their water, or whether or not their air is poisoned by sulfur dioxide from a smokestack next to them.

From

They contain sulfur compounds that make them pungent when raw, mellow when cooked and addictively complex when layered.

From

In July, El Sobrante managers informed the South Coast Air Quality Management District that a chemical reaction brewing inside the landfill was causing broiling temperatures and producing toxic sulfur pollution, according to air district records.

From

sulfoxide sulfurate

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