bibulous
Americanadjective
-
fond of or addicted to drink.
-
absorbent; spongy.
adjective
Other Word Forms
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.
Vocabulary lists containing bibulous
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Charlotte Rampling straddles dry humor and withering tragedy as a bibulous grandmother in “Juniper.”
From New York Times ● Feb. 26, 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
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
Finley Acker, of Philadelphia, obtained a patent the same year on a side-perforation percolator employing "porous or bibulous paper" as a filtering medium.
From All About Coffee by William H. (William Harrison) Ukers
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
