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Origin and history of brimstone

brimstone(n.)

"sulfur in a solidified state," Old English brynstan, from brin- stem of brinnen "to burn" (from Proto-Germanic *brennan "to burn," from PIE root *gwher- "to heat, warm") + stan (see stone (n.)). In Middle English the first element also is recorded as brem-, brom-, brum-, bren-, brin-, bron-, brun-, bern-, born-, burn-, burned-, and burnt-. Formerly "the mineral sulfur," it is now restricted to biblical usage.

The Lord reynede vpon Sodom and Gomor brenstoon and fier. [Wycliff's rendition (1382) of Genesis xix.24]

The Old Norse cognate compound brennusteinn meant "amber," as does German Bernstein.

Entries linking to brimstone

stone(n.)

"discrete piece of rock," especially not a large one, Old English stan, which was used of common rocks, precious gems, concretions in the body, memorial stones, from Proto-Germanic *stainaz (source also of Old Norse steinn, Danish steen, Old Saxon sten, Old Frisian sten, Dutch steen, Old High German stein, German Stein, Gothic stains).

This is reconstructed to be from PIE *stoi-no-, suffixed form of root *stai- "stone," also "to thicken, stiffen" (source also of Sanskrit styayate "curdles, becomes hard;" Avestan stay- "heap;" Greek stear "fat, tallow," stia, stion "pebble;" Old Church Slavonic stena, Russian stiena "wall").

From late 12c. as "substance of which stones consist, rock, stone as a medium." The sense of "testicle" was in late Old English. The British measure of weight (usually equal to 14 pounds) is from late 14c., originally a specific stone.

Stone-fruit, "drupe, fruit with a hard stone or nut at the center," is from 1520s. Stone's throw for "a short distance" is attested from 1580s; stone's cast in the same sense is from late 13c., also "a short time." Stone age, "period of human cultural development marked by tools or weapons made of stone," is from 1864; adjectival extended sense of "outmoded, unsophisticated" is by 1927.

To kill two birds with one stone "accomplish two purposes with one act" is attested by 1650s. To leave no stone unturned "use every possible expedient" is from 1540s.

To have a heart of stone figuratively is by late 14c. (in a list of 1897 slang terms, to refuse a person's appeal is to give him the marble heart).

sulfur(n.)

non-metallic elemental substance abundant in volcanic regions, late 14c., sulphur, soulphre, soulfre, soufre, etc., from Anglo-French sulfere, Old French soufre "sulfur, fire and brimstone, hellfire" (13c.), later also sulphur, from Late Latin sulfur, from Latin sulphur, which is probably from a root meaning "to burn."

It ousted native brimstone and cognate Old English swefl (compare German schwefel, Swedish swafel, Dutch zwavel). Emblematic of Hell or hellfire; to the Elizabethans it also was the stuff of lightning. The spelling sulphur is standard in Britain, but its suggestion of a Greek origin is misleading.

*gwher-

Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to heat, warm."

It might form all or part of: brand; brandish; brandy; brimstone; brindled; forceps; Fornax; fornicate; fornication; fornix; furnace; hypothermia; thermal; thermo-; Thermopylae; Thermos.

It might also be the source of: Sanskrit gharmah "heat;" Old Persian Garmapada-, name of the fourth month, corresponding to June/July, from garma- "heat;" Hittite war- "to burn;" Armenian jerm "warm;" Greek thermos "warm;" Latin formus "warm," fornax "oven;" Old Irish fogeir "heated;" Old English bærnan "to kindle."