Before it came to mean matchstick, the Arabic word kibreet referred to sulphur, with meanings that were perplexingly contradictory but echoed the manifold uses of the element.
For farmers, it is used as a pesticide, vital for the safety of their crops and livelihood. Doctors use it for skin ailments, primarily acne, with creams, lotions and ointments containing the element. And, of course, it is still a component in gunpowder.
Historically, sulphur’s importance was even greater. Arab alchemists saw kibreet as a foundational element, with fiery and masculine principles, in contrast with mercury (zaybaq), which was seen as a symbolising femininity and fluidity.
The 8th century scholar Jabir ibn Hayyan posited that all metals were a balance between sulphur and mercury, with gold formed in perfect equilibrium. Ibn Hayyan is documented to have used sulphur to prepare acids and chemical compounds.
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But perhaps one of the most interesting connotations of kibreet is its association with torment and divine retribution. The acrid scent and flammable quality of sulphur made the element, mostly in Christianity and Biblical traditions, an obvious representation of hellfire and eternal suffering.
The origin of the word kibreet may have come from other Middle Eastern languages. Historians believe the word has roots in the Syriac kuprah or kupr-it, which meant flame or lantern.
Though its connotations are wide – from the fiery to the medicinal – the word kibreet these days often exclusively refers to matchsticks. A matchbox, for instance, is ilbit kibreet. You can even find the word in some chemical compounds where sulphur is present: aluminium sulphate, for example, is kibreetat aluminium.
