Word to the Wise: Vitriol

Chemically speaking, "vitriol" (VIT-ree-ole) - from the Latin for "glass" - is sulfuric acid. By extension, we use the word for caustic, abusive language.

Example (as Michael Masterson used it in a recently posted article): "There are times for laughing and times for crying, times for work and times for leisure, times for vitriol and times for poetry."

This article appears courtesy of Early to Rise [Issue #2215, 12-03-07], the Internet's most popular health, wealth, and success e-zine. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com/.