Etymologically
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alcoholic

Etymology and origin of the English word alcoholic

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Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
1789

Pronunciation

  • IPA: UK /ˌæl.kəˈhɒl.ɪk/, US /ˌæl.kəˈhɑː.lɪk/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from alcohol and -ic.[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Of or relating to alcohol: 1789 in Merriam-Webster, 1790 in Etymonline and the OED.[3][2][4]

Semantic evolution

Preserved in alcohol is from 1852,[4] and caused by drinking alcohol from 1850 in the OED, by 1872 in Etymonline.[4][2] The noun, a person addicted to drink, is from 1891;[2][4] an earlier word was alcoholist (1877 in clinical writing), which in temperance literature had meant simply a drinker.[2] The adjective, habitually drunk, is by 1910.[2] Alcoholics Anonymous was founded in 1935 in Akron, Ohio.[2]

Timeline

  • 1789 – of alcohol.[3]
  • 1852 – preserved in alcohol.[4]
  • 1877 – alcoholist.[2]
  • 1891 – an alcoholic (noun).[2][4]
  • 1935 – Alcoholics Anonymous founded.[2]

Modern meaning

Adjective

  1. Of, containing or resulting from alcohol.
  2. Preserved in alcohol.
  3. Suffering from alcoholism.

Noun

  1. A person who drinks alcohol habitually and to excess, or who suffers from alcoholism.

Word family

  • alcoholically
  • alcoholicity
  • prealcoholic
  • nonalcoholic
  • Alcoholics Anonymous

References

  1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ a b c d e f Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
Cite this entry

“Alcoholic.” Etymologically, 17 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/alcoholic. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·