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

A person described as bibulous has a fondness for what?

From Slate • Dec. 25, 2023

Mr. Humphries created a string of other characters over the years, notably the boorish, bibulous Australian cultural attaché Sir Les Patterson.

From New York Times • Apr. 22, 2023

From that bibulous beginning, Mr. Epstein became a driving force behind the Library of America, which published its first books in 1979.

From Washington Post • Feb. 4, 2022

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

From Washington Times • Sep. 15, 2018

Turtle and salmon and Strasbourg pie Pippins and cheese were there; And the bibulous Alderman wink'd his eye, For the sherris was old and rare.

From Humorous Readings and Recitations In prose and verse by Various