alcohol

al·co·hol  (lk-hôl, -hl)

n.

1. A colorless volatile flammable liquid, C₂H₅OH, synthesized or obtained by fermentation of sugars and starches and widely used, either pure or denatured, as a solvent and in drugs, cleaning solutions, explosives, and intoxicating beverages. Also called ethanol, ethyl alcohol, grain alcohol.

2. Intoxicating liquor containing alcohol.

3. Any of a series of hydroxyl compounds, the simplest of which are derived from saturated hydrocarbons, have the general formula C_nH_2n+1OH, and include ethanol and methanol.

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[Medieval Latin, fine metallic powder, especially of antimony, from Arabic al-kul : al-, the + kul, powder of antimony; see kl in Semitic roots.]

Word History: The al- in alcohol may alert some readers to the fact that this is a word of Arabic descent, as is the case with algebra and alkali, al- being the Arabic definite article corresponding to the in English. The origin of -cohol is less obvious, however. Its Arabic ancestor was kul, a fine powder most often made from antimony and used by women to darken their eyelids; in fact, kul has given us the word kohl for such a preparation. Arabic chemists came to use al-kul to mean "any fine powder produced in a number of ways, including the process of heating a substance to a gaseous state and then recooling it." The English word alcohol, derived through Medieval Latin from Arabic, is first recorded in 1543 in this sense. Arabic chemists also used al-kul to refer to other substances such as essences that were obtained by distillation, a sense first found for English alcohol in 1672. One of these distilled essences, known as "alcohol of wine," is the constituent of fermented liquors that causes intoxication. This essence took over the term alcohol for itself, whence it has come to refer to the liquor that contains this essence as well as to a class of chemical compounds such as methanol.

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alcohol

Noun

1. a colourless flammable liquid present in intoxicating drinks

2. intoxicating drinks generally [Arabic al-kuhl powdered antimony]

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alcohol  (lk-hôl)

1. Any of a large number of colorless, flammable organic compounds that contain the hydroxyl group (OH) and that form esters with acids. Alcohols are used as solvents and for manufacturing dyes, perfumes, and pharmaceuticals. Simple alcohols, such as methanol and ethanol, are water-soluble liquids, while more complex ones, like cetyl alcohol, are waxy solids. Names of alcohols usually end in -ol.

2. Ethanol.

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Alcohol

See also beer; fermentation; wine.

absinthism

an addiction to absinthe, a liqueur flavored with the narcotic wormwood, Artemisia absinthium. — absinthial, absinthian, adj.

abstinence

a voluntary and habitual self-deprivation, especially from alcoholic beverages. — abstinent, adj.

alcoholism

1. an addiction to alcohol, especially involving compulsive, excessive consumption.
2. the pathological effects of such overindulgence. — alcoholic, n.

alcoholomania

an obsession with alcohol.

alcoholphilia

an excessive liking for alcoholic beverages. — alcoholphile, n.

antialcoholism

the state or doctrine of opposition to the excessive consumption of liquor. — antialcoholic, n., adj.

bacchanalianism

1. a devotion to drunken revelry and carousal in honor of Bacchus.
2. a dedication to such behavior on other occasions. — bacchanalian, n., adj.

bibacity

the state of being given to excessive drinking of alcohol. — bibacious, adj.

bibulosity

excessive drinking of alcoholic beverages. — bibulous, adj.

compotation

drinking together, usually to excess.

compotator

a drinking companion.

crapulency, crapulence

excessive indulgence in food or drink.

dipsomania

an insatiable craving for alcohol; chronic drunkenness. — dipsomaniac, n. — dipsomaniacal, adj.

dipsophobia

an abnormal fear of drinking. — dipsophobe, n.

drunkometer

a device for measuring the amount of alcohol in the bloodstream, usually from the breath. Also called breathalyzer.

ebriety

intoxication or inebriation, whether regarded as the condition, the process, or the habit.

ebriosity

drunkenness or intoxication from alcohol, especially as a habitual state.

fermentology

a science that deals with ferments and fermentation, especially those concerned with the production of alcoholic beverages. — fermentologist, n.

inebriety

drunkenness.

insobriety

the opposite of sobriety; inebriation.

libation

Jocular. an alcoholic beverage.

mixology

skill in the mixing of alcoholic drinks. — mixologist, n.

nephalism

an adherence to the tenets of teetotalism. — nephalist, n., adj. — nephalistic, adj.

orgy

1. In ancient Greece or Rome. a wild celebration in honor of certain gods.
2. riotous merrymaking, especially with excessive indulgence in sex, alcohol, and drugs. — orgiast, n. — orgiastic, adj.

polydipsia

extreme thirst; an abnormal and continuous craving for drink.

potation

1. excessive drinking of alcohol.
2. an alcoholic drink. See also food and nutrition.

potomania

1. an excessive tendency to drink alcoholic beverages.
2. Also called tromomania. delirium tremens.

prohibitionism

1. the principles governing the forbidding by law of the manufacture or sale of alcoholic beverages.
2. the interdiction itself. — prohibitionist, n. — Prohibition, n.

Rechabite

a member of the Independent Order of Rechabites, a secret society devoted to total abstention from intoxicating liquors, founded in England in 1835.

teetotalism

the principle or conscious practice of complete abstinence from alcoholic beverages. Also called total abstinence. — teetotaler, n.

tromomania

delirium tremens. Also called potomania.

Volsteadism

the theory or practice of prohibitionism; after the Volstead Act, which implemented U.S. prohibition, introduced by Andrew J. Volstead.

Washingtonian

a member of the Washingtonian Society, a temperance society founded in the United States in 1843.

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	alcohol - a liquor or brew containing alcohol as the active agent; "alcohol (or drink) ruined him" alcoholic beverage, alcoholic drink, inebriant, intoxicant drug of abuse, street drug - a drug that is taken for nonmedicinal reasons (usually for mind-altering effects); drug abuse can lead to physical and mental damage and (with some substances) dependence and addiction beverage, drinkable, potable, drink - any liquid suitable for drinking; "may I take your beverage order?" proof spirit - a mixture containing half alcohol by volume at 60 degrees Fahrenheit home brew, homebrew - an alcoholic beverage (especially beer) made at home hooch, hootch - an illicitly distilled (and usually inferior) alcoholic liquor kava, kavakava - an alcoholic drink made from the aromatic roots of the kava shrub aperitif - alcoholic beverage taken before a meal as an appetizer brew, brewage - drink made by steeping and boiling and fermenting rather than distilling rice beer, sake, saki - Japanese alcoholic beverage made from fermented rice; usually served hot nipa - made from sap of the Australasian nipa palm vino, wine - fermented juice (of grapes especially) booze, hard drink, hard liquor, John Barleycorn, liquor, spirits, strong drink - an alcoholic beverage that is distilled rather than fermented neutral spirits, ethyl alcohol - nonflavored alcohol of 95 percent or 190 proof used for blending with straight whiskies and in making gin and liqueurs pulque - fermented Mexican drink from juice of various agave plants especially the maguey cordial, liqueur - strong highly flavored sweet liquor usually drunk after a meal mixed drink - made of two or more ingredients hard cider - alcoholic drink from fermented cider; `cider' and `cyder' are European (especially British) usages for the fermented beverage perry - a fermented and often effervescent beverage made from juice of pears; similar in taste to hard cider rotgut - any alcoholic beverage of inferior quality slug - an amount of an alcoholic drink (usually liquor) that is poured or gulped; "he took a slug of hard liquor" koumiss, kumis - an alcoholic beverage made from fermented mare's milk; made originally by nomads of central Asia
	2.	alcohol - any of a series of volatile hydroxyl compounds that are made from hydrocarbons by distillation methanol, methyl alcohol, wood alcohol, wood spirit - a light volatile flammable poisonous liquid alcohol; used as an antifreeze and solvent and fuel and as a denaturant for ethyl alcohol ethanol, ethyl alcohol, fermentation alcohol, grain alcohol - the intoxicating agent in fermented and distilled liquors; used pure or denatured as a solvent or in medicines and colognes and cleaning solutions and rocket fuel; proposed as a renewable clean-burning additive to gasoline isopropanol, isopropyl alcohol - alcohol used as antifreeze or a solvent allyl alcohol, propenyl alcohol - an unsaturated primary alcohol present in wood spirit; use to make resins and plasticizers and pharmaceuticals amyl alcohol - a mixture of 2 or more isomeric alcohols; used as a solvent and in organic synthesis butanol, butyl alcohol - a flammable alcohol derived from butanes and used for solvents cyclohexanol - a colorless oily alcohol that smells like camphor dihydric alcohol, diol, glycol - any of a class of alcohols having 2 hydroxyl groups in each molecule glycerin, glycerine, glycerol - a sweet syrupy trihydroxy alcohol obtained by saponification of fats and oils 1-dodecanol, lauryl alcohol - a colorless insoluble solid alcohol used to make detergents and pharmaceuticals liquid - a substance that is liquid at room temperature and pressure propanol, propyl alcohol - a clear colorless volatile liquid (alcohol) used as a solvent and antiseptic steroid alcohol, sterol - any of a group of natural steroid alcohols derived from plants or animals; they are waxy insoluble substances

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alcohol

noun 1. drink, spirits, liquor, intoxicant, juice (informal) booze (informal) the bottle (informal) grog (informal), chiefly Austral., N.Z. the hard stuff (informal) strong drink, Dutch courage (informal) firewater, John Barleycorn, hooch or hootch (informal), chiefly U.S., Canad.

noun 2. ethanol, ethyl alcohol >> like dipsomania

Translations

alcohol [ˈælkəhɔl] n → alcohol m

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alcohol [ˈælkəhɔl] n → alcool m

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alcohol [ˈælkəhɔl] n → Alkohol m

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alcohol [ˈælkəhɔl] n → alcool m