alcoholic
[ al-kuh-haw-lik, -hol-ik ]
/ ˌæl kəˈhɔ lɪk, -ˈhɒl ɪk /
adjective
noun
Pathology. a person suffering from alcoholism.
a person addicted to intoxicating drinks.
RELATED CONTENT
From The Waltz To The Jitterbug: How Classic Dances Got Their NamesAs you may suspect, the term “ballroom dancing” originates with the word “ball.” But what you may not know is that “ball” comes from the Latin word ballare, which means “to dance.” So what about all those dances performed in the ballroom? How did they get their names? The waltz The waltz is now considered a harmless, traditional type of ballroom dancing. But in 1825, it …
RELATED WORDS
fermented, inebriant, souse, tippler, lush, inebriate, boozer, wino, sot, dipsomaniac, hard, distilled, vinous
Nearby words
- alcohol,
- alcohol dehydrogenase,
- alcohol dependence,
- alcohol-free,
- alcoholate,
- alcoholic cirrhosis,
- alcoholic psychosis,
- alcoholicity,
- alcoholics anonymous,
- alcoholism
Origin of alcoholic
Synonym study
6. See drunkard.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for alcoholic
alcoholic
/ (ˌælkəˈhɒlɪk) /
noun
a person affected by alcoholism
adjective
of, relating to, containing, or resulting from alcohol
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
alcoholic
1790, "of or pertaining to alcohol;" see alcohol + -ic. Meaning "caused by drunkenness" is attested by 1872; meaning "habitually drunk" by 1910. Noun sense of "one who is addicted to drinking in excess, chronic drunkard, old rounder" is recorded from 1891; earlier alcoholist (1888). Alcoholics Anonymous founded 1935 in Akron, Ohio, U.S. Alky is first recorded 1844 as a slang shortening of "alcoholic liquor;" 1960 in the sense of "a drunkard."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
alcoholic
[ ăl′kə-hô′lĭk ]
adj.
Related to or resulting from alcohol.
Containing or preserved in alcohol.
Suffering from alcoholism.
n.
A person who drinks alcoholic substances habitually and to excess or who suffers from alcoholism.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.