Vitriolised

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Treated or corroded with sulfuric acid, once called oil of vitriol ; attacked with bitter, harshly abusive words
2. Subjected to a chemical process using corrosive sulfuric acid ; savagely criticized or insulted in cutting, spiteful speech
3. Doused in a corrosive acid compound ; denounced in bitter, caustic terms meant to wound

Etymology: "Vitriolised" is the past form of "vitriolise," which means to treat something with vitriol, or to attack it with bitter, corrosive words. The verb is built from "vitriol" with the suffix "-ise," so the real story lies in the noun it comes from. "Vitriol" came into English from Old French, which borrowed it from medieval Latin "vitriolum," a name for sulphate salts that were prized by alchemists and early chemists. Those salts, such as the blue copper sulphate and green iron sulphate, were glassy and often shiny, which is why the Latin name was tied to "vitrum," meaning glass. The word therefore began as a term for a particular family of crystalline chemicals rather than for anything harsh in itself. The sense of caustic attack came later, because the strong sulphuric acid made from these salts was so corrosive that its name came to stand for bitter, biting speech. Verbs formed from it followed the same path, so "vitriolise" carries that sharpened, acidic sense of wounding someone with words.

Synonyms: lambast, berate, vilify, savage

Antonyms: praise, compliment, laud