Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web

brimstone

 - 5 dictionary results

brim⋅stone

[brim-stohn]
–noun
1. sulfur.
2. a virago; shrew.

Origin:
bef. 1150; ME brinston, etc., late OE brynstān. See burn 1 , stone


brimstony, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To brimstone
brim·stone   (brĭm'stōn')   
n.  
  1. Sulfur.

    1. Damnation to hell.

    2. Fiery or passionate rhetoric: "the great American evangelist of Yankee bargain-hunting, converting us . . . with the brimstone of his secular preaching" (Rushworth M. Kidder).


[Middle English brimston, from Old English brynstān; see gwher- in Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

brimstone 
O.E. brynstan, from brin- stem of brinnen "to burn" + stan "stone." Formerly "sulphur," now restricted to biblical usage. The O.N. cognate brennusteinn meant "amber," as does Ger. Bernstein.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: brim·stone
Pronunciation: 'brim-"stOn
Function: noun
: SULFUR
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
Cite This Source
Bible Dictionary

Brimstone

an inflammable mineral substance found in quantities on the shores of the Dead Sea. The cities of the plain were destroyed by a rain of fire and brimstone (Gen. 19:24, 25). In Isa. 34:9 allusion is made to the destruction of these cities. This word figuratively denotes destruction or punishment (Job 18:15; Isa. 30:33; 34:9; Ps. 11:6; Ezek. 38:22). It is used to express the idea of excruciating torment in Rev. 14:10; 19:20; 20:10.

Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary
Cite This Source
Search another word or see brimstone on Thesaurus | Reference
FacebookTwitterFollow us: