A yellow chemical element that burns with a blue flame and smells like rotten eggs; historically associated with hell and gunpowder.
From Latin 'sulfur,' possibly borrowed from a Semitic language. The element has been known since ancient times because it occurs naturally near volcanic areas.
Sulfur's smell of rotten eggs comes from hydrogen sulfide gas, but the ancient world thought sulfur was literally part of hell—this is why it's still called 'brimstone' in religious texts, and why we imagine hellfire with that smell.
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