the word sulphur entered english via anglo-norman and old french from the latin 'sulfur' or 'sulphur'. the latin term itself is of obscure, likely pre-latin, italic origin, with no clear proto-indo-european root identified. the spelling variation with 'ph' emerged from a mistaken classical association with greek words, though the greek word for the substance is actually 'theion'. the word has consistently referred to the specific yellow, combustible non-metallic element throughout its history in english.

the word is a simplex loanword. its spelling and form were adopted directly from latin 'sulfur' or 'sulphur'.