intoxicate

intoxicate · verb¹

1. Ancient Greek · derived fromτοξικόν
2. Late Latin · derived fromtoxicō“to smear, anoint with poison”
3. Middle English · inherited fromintoxicaten
4. English todayintoxicate

First attested in 1450, in Middle English; from Middle English intoxicaten, from intoxicat(e) (“(of a weapon or drug) smeared, anointed or filled with poison; (of a human being, animal) poisoned, intoxicated”, also used as the past participle of intoxicaten) + -en (verb-forming suffix), borrowed from intoxicātus, perfect passive participle of intoxicō (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from Late Latin toxicō (“to smear, anoint with poison”), from toxicus (“toxic, poisonous”) + -ō (verb-forming suffix), from Ancient Greek τοξικόν (toxikón). By surface analysis, in- + toxic + -ate.

intoxicate · adjective, noun²

1. Middle English · inherited fromintoxicat(e)“(of a weapon or drug) smeared, anointed or filled with poison; (of a human being, animal) poisoned, intoxicated”
2. English todayintoxicate

First attested in 1425, in Middle English; from Middle English intoxicat(e) (“(of a weapon or drug) smeared, anointed or filled with poison; (of a human being, animal) poisoned, intoxicated”, also used as the past participle of intoxicaten), see -ate (adjective-forming suffix) and Etymology 1 for more. The noun was derived by substantivization from the adjective, see -ate (noun-forming suffix).

Words from the same roots