bibulous

American  

[bib-yuh-luhs] / ˈbɪb yə ləs /

adjective

1. fond of or addicted to drink.

2. absorbent; spongy.

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bibulous British  

/ ˈbɪbjʊləs /

adjective

1. addicted to alcohol

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Other Word Forms

• bibulosity noun
• bibulously adverb
• bibulousness noun
• nonbibulous adjective
• nonbibulously adverb
• nonbibulousness noun
• unbibulous adjective
• unbibulously adverb
• unbibulousness noun

Etymology

Origin of bibulous

1665–75; < Latin bibulus ( bib ( ere ) to drink (cognate with Sanskrit píbati (he) drinks) + -ulus -ulous )

Explanation

The adjective bibulous describes something that is highly absorbent, like a towel or sponge that soaks up liquid well. A bibulous person, however, is someone who likes to drink alcohol. Bibulous, pronounced "BIB-you-luhs," comes from the Latin word bibere, which means "to drink." You may recognize this root in the verb imbibe, which often means "to consume alcohol." As it applies to people, bibulous means "likes to drink alcohol." So don't make the mistake of using it to describe someone who seems to soak up information or understand complicated ideas quickly.

Example Sentences

Colorado - really its farmers and ranchers - are stewards for increasingly bibulous downstream states.

From Washington Times • Sep. 15, 2018

Old-school voters expecting him to reinstate the fading habit of the long and bibulous lunch may have to wait.

From The New Yorker • May 9, 2017

Dougherty’s bibulous, quick-footed turn is terrific — right at Mendenhall’s and Ingvarsson’s level.

From Washington Post • Nov. 4, 2015

Less well known is his nickname, “Tommy Two Dinners,” coined after a bibulous lunch at the Gay Hussar that somehow merged into dinner.

From New York Times • Feb. 24, 2015

The liquid is adjusted to the mark by withdrawing any excess from the capillary end by a strip of bibulous paper or by a capillary tube.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 8, Slice 2 "Demijohn" to "Destructor" by Various