oil of vitriol

oil of vitriol

n.

See sulfuric acid.

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

oil of vitriol - (H2SO4) a highly corrosive acid made from sulfur dioxide; widely used in the chemical industry sulfuric acid, sulphuric acid, vitriol acid - any of various water-soluble compounds having a sour taste and capable of turning litmus red and reacting with a base to form a salt atomic number 16, sulfur, sulphur, S - an abundant tasteless odorless multivalent nonmetallic element; best known in yellow crystals; occurs in many sulphide and sulphate minerals and even in native form (especially in volcanic regions) battery acid, electrolyte acid - dilute sulfuric acid used in storage batteries