sulphuric acid
noun
Simple meaning
A highly corrosive acid made from sulfur dioxide.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
suhlferihkasuhdSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈsʌlfɚɪkæsəd
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
British spellinginorganic chemistryH2SO4
A highly corrosive acid made from sulfur dioxide; widely used in the chemical industry
British spellinginorganic chemistry
A colourless highly corrosive liquid, H₂SO₄.
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
This meaning: (H2SO4) a highly corrosive acid made from sulfur dioxide; widely used in the chemical industry
Used this way, sulphuric acid is a word tied to one variety of English that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. This is a scientific use: it names something precisely within a field of study, so it appears in research and teaching more than in conversation.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Specialist/technical
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Regional
- Connotation
- Clinical and technical
- Usage feel
- Technical and specialized
Where it naturally appears
- Science
- Academic writing
- Technical/specialist writing
Usage note
Mainly used in British English, so it may read as unusual elsewhere.
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
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