spirituous

American  

[spir-i-choo-uhs] / ˈspɪr ɪ tʃu əs /

adjective

1. containing, of the nature of, or pertaining to alcohol; alcoholic.

2. (of alcoholic beverages) distilled, rather than fermented.

---

spirituous British  

/ ˈspɪrɪtjʊəs, ˌspɪrɪtjʊˈɒsɪtɪ /

adjective

1. characterized by or containing alcohol

2. (of a drink) being a spirit

---

Other Word Forms

• nonspirituous
  adjective
• nonspirituousness
  noun
• spirituosity
  noun
• spirituously
  adverb
• spirituousness
  noun
• unspirituous
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of spirituous

1590–1600; < Latin spīritu-, stem of spīritus spirit + -ous

Example Sentences

"For the spirituous liquor industry, glass and key raw material ingredients for plastic closures are the main drivers of constraint," according to the statement.

From Salon • Jul. 27, 2021

In 1615, a German doctor suggested that “the hot and spirituous blood of a young man will pour into the old one as if it were from a fountain of youth.”

From The New Yorker • Mar. 27, 2017

Douglas MacArthur said he did not consider "liquor or spirituous wines as appropriate recognition for Bong's deeds."

From Time Magazine Archive

He protested against drinking of spirituous refreshments, even in the Capitol, by members of Congress.

From Time Magazine Archive

In none of the huts could we discern any sort of spirituous fluids, nor was any offered to us.

From Narrative of the Circumnavigation of the Globe by the Austrian Frigate Novara, Volume II (Commodore B. Von Wullerstorf-Urbair,) Undertaken by Order of the Imperial Government in the Years 1857, 1858, & 1859, Under the Immediate Auspices of His I. and R. Highness the Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian, Commander-In-Chief of the Austrian Navy. by Scherzer, Karl Ritter von