Etymology

alcoholic

A1L1C3O1H4O1L1I1C3

Today it means: A person who is addicted to alcohol. Full definition →

English alcohol ← Middle English alcofol ← Medieval Latin alcoho
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The story

  1. Akkadian𒎎𒋆𒁉𒍣𒁕 (guḫlum)
  2. Aramaicכוחלא (kuḥlā)
  3. Arabicكُحْل (kuḥl)
  4. Andalusian Arabicكُحُول (kuḥūl)
  5. Medieval Latinalcoho
  6. Middle Englishalcofol
  7. Englishalcohol
  8. English todayalcoholic

First attested 1891, from alcohol + -ic.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.