alcohol English · revision 137
5 Oct 2026, 22:03 by bogdan “Add pronunciation, sense history, timeline, meanings, word family, related words” current version
Changes in this edit
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+ ==Pronunciation==
+ * IPA: /ˈæl.kə.hɒl/ ''(UK)''; /ˈæl.kə.hɔl/, /ˈæl.kə.hɑl/ ''(US)''^(Wiktionary)
+
==Etymology==
− The word is [[bor|la-med|alcohol|t=powdered ore of antimony]],^(Etymonline)^(AHD) [[der|ar|اَلْكُحْل|tr=al-kuḥl|t=the kohl]],^(AHD)^(Etymonline) from ''al-'' “the” + ''kuḥl'', the fine powder used to darken the eyelids,^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989) from ''kaḥala'' “to stain, paint”.^(OED 1989)^(Etymonline) Recorded in English from the 1540s in the sense “fine powder”.^(Etymonline)^(RHWU)
+ The word is [[bor|la-med|alcohol|t=powdered ore of antimony]],^(Etymonline)^(AHD) [[der|ar|اَلْكُحْل|tr=al-kuḥl|t=the kohl]],^(AHD)^(Etymonline) from ''al-'' “the” + ''kuḥl'', the fine powder used to darken the eyelids,^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989) from ''kaḥala'' “to stain, paint”.^(OED 1989)^(Etymonline)
− Paracelsus used the word both for a fine powder and for a volatile liquid.^(Etymonline) The sense “intoxicating ingredient in strong liquor” is attested by 1753, short for ''alcohol of wine''.^(Etymonline) Doublet of [[kohl]].^(Wiktionary)
+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==
+ A fine powder, especially the powdered antimony used to stain the eyelids;^(OED 1989)^(Etymonline) in early chemistry, any fine powder produced by grinding or sublimation (1543).^(OED 1989)^(AHD)
+
+ ==Semantic evolution==
+ Arabic chemists had already extended ''al-kuḥl'' to essences obtained by distillation,^(AHD) and Paracelsus used the word both for a fine powder and for a volatile liquid.^(Etymonline) In English the sense “essence or spirit obtained by distillation” is found from 1672.^(AHD)^(OED 1989)^(MW Collegiate) One such essence, “alcohol of wine”, took over the name:^(AHD) the sense “intoxicating ingredient in strong liquor” is attested by 1753.^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989) In organic chemistry the word was extended by 1808 to a class of similar compounds.^(Etymonline)
+
+ ==Timeline==
+ * early 15th century – ''alcofol''.^(Etymonline)
+ * 1543 – “a fine powder produced by sublimation”.^(AHD)^(OED 1989)
+ * 1672 – “an essence or spirit obtained by distillation”.^(AHD)^(OED 1989)
+ * 1753 – the intoxicating ingredient of liquor.^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989)
+ * 1808 – a class of organic compounds.^(Etymonline)
+
+ ==Modern meaning==
+ ===Noun===
+ # Ethanol, the intoxicating ingredient in fermented and distilled drinks.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)
+ # Drinks containing ethanol, collectively.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(Wiktionary)
+ # ''(chemistry)'' Any of a class of organic compounds containing a hydroxyl group.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(Wiktionary)
+
+ ==Related words==
+ * [[kohl]]
+ * [[alkali]]
==References==