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booze

Etymology and origin of the English word booze

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /buːz/ (UK); /buz/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is a variant of earlier bouse,[2][3][4][5] inherited from Middle English bousen (“to drink to excess”),[2][3][4][6] borrowed from Middle Dutch būsen (“to drink heavily”),[2][3][4][6] related to Middle Low German būsen “to revel”,[3] of uncertain origin.[3][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

As a verb, to drink deeply or for enjoyment (c. 1300).[7][3][4]

Semantic evolution

The word was mostly a cant term in the late 18th century.[4] The noun booze, “drink”, is recorded from 1732,[7][3] and specifically “alcoholic drink” from 1859.[7] The spelling with -z- may have been popularized partly by the name of the 19th-century Philadelphia distiller E. G. Booz.[4] A drinking bout is a booze (1864), and to be on the booze is to be on a spell of hard drinking (1850).[7] Booze-up and booze-hound date from the 20th century (1926).[7]

Timeline

  • c. 1300 – verb, to drink deeply.[7][3]
  • 1732 – noun, drink.[7][3]
  • 1768 – the spelling booze.[3][4]
  • 1859 – alcoholic drink.[7]
  • 1864 – a drinking bout.[7]
  • 1926 – booze-up, booze-hound.[7]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. (informal) Alcoholic drink, especially hard liquor.
  2. A drinking spree or session.

Verb

  1. To drink alcohol, especially to excess, as in booze it up.

Word family

  • boozer
  • boozy
  • boozehound
  • booze-up
  • carouse
  • tipple
  • liquor

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  6. ^ a b Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press

Related etymologies

  • buoy · also from Middle Dutch
  • bully · also from Middle Dutch
  • dapper · also from Middle Dutch
  • easel · also from Middle Dutch
  • bumpkin · also from Middle Dutch
Cite this entry

“Booze.” Etymologically, 11 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/booze. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·