Vitriolum

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A corrosive and highly caustic substance often used in industrial processes
2. in a more figurative sense, it can refer to bitter criticism or malice in speech or writing
3. the term can also denote a strong feeling of hostility or disdain towards someone or something

Etymology: Vitriol is named for its appearance. The Latin "vitrum" meant glass, and the Medieval Latin "vitriolum" was applied to a family of glassy, crystalline substances, mostly sulfates, because of how they looked. One of them gave the chemical known as "oil of vitriol," a heavy liquid that was in fact sulfuric acid, produced by distilling these crystals. The hostile sense grew out of that acid's corrosive reputation. Something that burns and eats away at its target could be described as vitriolic, and by extension a bitter, caustic attack in speech or writing came to be called vitriol. A word for a glassy crystal thus became a word for scornful abuse, with the burning acid as the link between them.

Synonyms: vitriol, sulfuric acid