Wiktionary

alcohol

English

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An assortment of alcoholic beverages

Etymology

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Etymology tree
Akkadian 𒎎𒋆𒁉𒍣𒁕 (guḫlum)bor.
Aramaic כוחלא (kuḥlā)bor.
Arabic كُحْل (kuḥl)
Andalusian Arabic اَلْكُحُول (al-kuḥūl)bor.
Medieval Latin alcoholder.
Middle English alcofol
English alcohol

    First attested in the 15th century from Middle English alcofol, from Middle French alcohol or Spanish alcohol, derived from the Medieval Latin rendering alcohol transmitted in medical or alchemical literature of Arabic اَلْكُحْل (al-kuḥl, “kohl”), which in Andalusian Arabic also bore the form كُحُول (kuḥūl), قُحُول (quḥūl); bearing thus the meaning of stibnite first, then generalized in meaning to a powder obtained by triturating a material, then also to liquids obtained by boiling down, and specialized to mean spirit of wine, ethanol, in the 18th century, then the narrow chemical sense after 1850. Doublet of alcool and kohl.

    Various old etymological notes.
    • Bartholomew Traheron in his 1543 translation of John of Vigo introduces the word as a term used by "barbarous" (Moorish) authors for "fine powder": the barbarous auctours use alcohol, or (as I fynde it sometymes wryten) alcofoll, for moost fine poudre.
    • William Johnson in his 1657 Lexicon Chymicum glosses the word as antimonium sive stibium. By extension, the word came to refer to any fluid obtained by distillation, including "alcohol of wine", the distilled essence of wine.
    • Libavius in Alchymia (1594) has vini alcohol vel vinum alcalisatum.
    • Johnson (1657) glosses alcohol vini as quando omnis superfluitas vini a vino separatur, ita ut accensum ardeat donec totum consumatur, nihilque fæcum aut phlegmatis in fundo remaneat.
    • Some authorities, including Rachel Hajar, suggest that the ultimate etymon was the Arabic term اَلْغَوْل (al-ḡawl, “bad effect, evil result of headache”) (as used in Qur’an verse 37:47, but this word is rather poetical and could for topical reasons not have been picked up from Arabic by Medieval writers, and aside from that the relation to stibium is well documented.[1][2]

    Pronunciation

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    • (UK) IPA(key): /ˈæl.kə.hɒl/
    • (US) IPA(key): /ˈæl.kə.hɔl/, /ˈæl.kə.hɑl/
    • Audio (US):(file)
    • Audio (UK):(file)
    • (Indic) IPA(key): /ˈal.kɵ.hɔl/, /ˈɑl.kɵ.hɔl/, /əl.kɵˈhɔl/, /æl.kɔː.ɦɔːl/, /əl.kʊ.ɦʊl/
    • Hyphenation: al‧co‧hol

    Noun

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    alcohol (countable and uncountable, plural alcohols)

    2. (organic chemistry, countable) Any of a class of organic compounds (such as ethanol) containing a hydroxyl functional group (-OH).
      • 2012 September 26, Jacque Wilson, “Experts: Alcohol enemas ‘extremely dangerous’”, in CNN‎[2]:
        Our stomachs and livers have an enzyme known as alcohol dehydrogenase that breaks down ethanol to make it less toxic for our bodies, said Atlanta gastroenterologist Dr. Preston Stewart.
    3. (pharmacology, colloquial) Ethanol.
    4. (uncountable) Beverages containing ethanol, collectively.
      Synonyms: see Thesaurus:alcoholic beverage
      • 2013 June 22, “Snakes and ladders”, in The Economist‎[3], volume 407, number 8841, archived from the original on 24 August 2019, page 76:
        Risk is everywhere. From tabloid headlines insisting that coffee causes cancer (yesterday, of course, it cured it) to stern government warnings about alcohol and driving, the world is teeming with goblins.
    5. (obsolete) Any very fine powder.

    Derived terms

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    Descendants

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    • → Arabic: كُحُول (kuḥūl)
    • → Korean: 알코올 (alkool), 알콜 (alkol)
    • → Malay: alkohol
    • → Swahili: alkoholi
    • Tok Pisin: alkohol

    Translations

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    References

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    1. ^ “Etymology of Alcohol”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name)‎[1], 31 December 2008 (last accessed), archived from the original on 10 June 2011
    2. ^ Nicolae Sfetcu, Health & Drugs: Disease, Prescription & Medication (2014)

    Asturian

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    Noun

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    alcohol m (plural alcoholes)

    1. alcohol

    Catalan

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    Pronunciation

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    Noun

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    alcohol m (plural alcohols)

    1. (organic chemistry, countable) alcohol
    2. (uncountable) alcohol
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    Further reading

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    Chavacano

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    Etymology

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    Inherited from Spanish alcohol (“alcohol”).

    Pronunciation

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    • IPA(key): /alkoˈol/, [al.koˈol]
    • Hyphenation: al‧co‧hol

    Noun

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    alcohol

    1. alcohol

    Dutch

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    Alternative forms

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    Etymology

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    Borrowed from Latin alcohol or Spanish alcohol, of Arabic origin.

    Pronunciation

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    • IPA(key): /ˈɑl.koːˌɦɔl/
    • Audio:(file)
    • Hyphenation: al‧co‧hol

    Noun

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    alcohol m (plural alcoholen, no diminutive)

    1. (countable, organic chemistry) alcohol (class of compounds)
    2. (uncountable) alcohol (ethanol specifically)
      De suikers worden omgezet in alcohol. ― The sugars are converted into alcohol.
    3. (uncountable) alcoholic beverages, collectively
      Synonym: drank
      Hyponym: sterke drank
      Hij zit iets te vaak aan de alcohol. ― He drinks alcoholic beverages a bit too often.

    Derived terms

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    Descendants

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    French

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    Pronunciation

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    Noun

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    alcohol m (plural alcohols)

    1. (rare) alternative spelling of alcool

    Galician

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    Alternative forms

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    Noun

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    alcohol m (plural alcohois)

    1. alcohol
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    Further reading

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    Interlingua

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    Noun

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    alcohol (uncountable)

    1. alcohol (ethanol)
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    Latin

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    Etymology

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    Etymology tree
    Akkadian 𒎎𒋆𒁉𒍣𒁕 (guḫlum)bor.
    Aramaic כוחלא (kuḥlā)bor.
    Arabic كُحْل (kuḥl)
    Andalusian Arabic اَلْكُحُول (al-kuḥūl)bor.
    Latin alcohol

      From Andalusian Arabic اَلْكُحُول (al-kuḥūl), اَلْقُحُول (al-quḥūl), earlier اَلْكُحْل (al-kuḥl, “kohl”).

      Pronunciation

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      Noun

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      alcohol n (genitive alcohōlis); third declension

      1. (Medieval Latin) kohl, collyrium, stibium
      2. (Medieval Latin) any other powder obtained from triturating a material
        alcohol ferrī ― rubbed file dust of iron
      3. (Medieval Latin) distilled essence, spirit
      4. (Medieval Latin) alcohol

      Declension

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      Third-declension noun (neuter, imparisyllabic non-i-stem).

      singular plural
      nominative alcohol alcohōla
      genitive alcohōlis alcohōlum
      dative alcohōlī alcohōlibus
      accusative alcohol alcohōla
      ablative alcohōle alcohōlibus
      vocative alcohol alcohōla

      Derived terms

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      Descendants

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      References

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      • alcohol in Ramminger, Johann (16 July 2016 (last accessed)), Neulateinische Wortliste: Ein Wörterbuch des Lateinischen von Petrarca bis 1700‎[4], pre-publication website, 2005-2016

      Old French

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      Noun

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      alcohol oblique singular, m (oblique plural alcohous or alcohox or alcohols, nominative singular alcohous or alcohox or alcohols, nominative plural alcohol)

      1. alcohol

      Descendants

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      Portuguese

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      Noun

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      alcohol m (countable and uncountable, plural alcohoes)

      1. (rare) pre-reform spelling (used until 1943 in Brazil and 1911 in Portugal) of álcool
        • 1910 January 5, “EMULSÃO DE SCOTT”, in A Republica, volume XXIV, number 3, Curitiba, page 3, column 4:
          não contem alcohol, guaiacol, creosota nem nenhuma substancia nociva ou irritante.
          Does not contain alcohol, guaiacol, creosote or any nocive or irritating substance.
        • 1937 July 24, “III Congresso Sul-Americano de Chimica: Theses Apresentadas [III South-American Congress of Chemistry: Presented Theses]”, in Jornal do Commercio, volume 110, number 250, Rio de Janeiro, page 7:
          5 — Freire, Affonso de Castilho — Determinação do kerosene nos alcohoes desnaturados.
          5 — Freire, Affonso de Castilho — Determination of kerosene in denatured alcohols.

      Usage notes

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      The spelling alcool was far more common.

      Romanian

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      Noun

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      alcohol m (plural alcoholi)

      1. obsolete form of alcool

      Declension

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      singular plural
      indefinite definite indefinite definite
      nominative-accusative alcohol alcoholul alcoholi alcoholii
      genitive-dative alcohol alcoholului alcoholi alcoholilor
      vocative alcoholule alcoholilor

      References

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      • alcohol in Academia Română, Micul dicționar academic, ediția a II-a, Bucharest: Univers Enciclopedic, 2010. →ISBN

      Spanish

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      Spanish Wikipedia has an article on:
      Wikipedia es

      Etymology

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      Inherited from Old Spanish alcofol, alcofor, alcohol (c. 1200), from Andalusian Arabic اَلْكُحُول (al-kuḥū́l), from Arabic اَلْكُحْل (al-kuḥl, “kohl”).

      Pronunciation

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      Noun

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      alcohol m (plural alcoholes)

      1. alcohol
      2. (mineralogy) galena
      3. (cosmetics) kohl, stibnite

      Derived terms

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      Descendants

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      Further reading

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      Welsh

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      Etymology

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      From English alcohol, from Middle French alcohol or Spanish alcohol, from the Medieval Latin rendering alcohol of Arabic اَلْكُحْل (al-kuḥl, “kohl”).

      Pronunciation

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      Noun

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      alcohol m (plural alcoholau)

      1. (alcoholic beverages) alcohol
        Synonym: gwirf

      Derived terms

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      Mutation

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      Mutated forms of alcohol
      radical soft nasal h-prothesis
      alcohol unchanged unchanged halcohol

      Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Welsh.
      All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

      References

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      • R. J. Thomas, G. A. Bevan, P. J. Donovan, A. Hawke, et al., editors (1950–present), “alcohol”, in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru Online (in Welsh), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies
      Retrieved from "https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=alcohol&oldid=90654337"