alcohol

al·co·hol

noun \ˈal-kə-ˌhȯl\

Definition of ALCOHOL

1

a : ethanol especially when considered as the intoxicating agent in fermented and distilled liquors

b : drink (as whiskey or beer) containing ethanol

c : a mixture of ethanol and water that is usually 95 percent ethanol

2

: any of a class of organic compounds that are analogous to ethanol and that are hydroxyl derivatives of hydrocarbons

Examples of ALCOHOL

1. cough medicine that contains alcohol
2. drinks that are high in alcohol
3. There was a high level of alcohol in his blood at the time of the accident.
4. a mixture of different alcohols
5. The restaurant had a license to serve alcohol.

Origin of ALCOHOL

New Latin, from Medieval Latin, powdered antimony, from Old Spanish, from Arabic al-kuḥul the powdered antimony, from kuḥl kohl

First Known Use: 1672

Related to ALCOHOL

Synonyms

aqua vitae, ardent spirits, booze, bottle, drink, firewater, grog, hooch [slang], inebriant, intoxicant, John Barleycorn, juice [slang], liquor, lush [slang], moonshine, potable, rum, sauce [slang], spirits, stimulant, strong drink, tipple

Antonyms

nonintoxicant

Related Words

aperitif, bracer, chaser, digestif, nightcap; belt, load, nip, peg [British], pop, shooter, shot, slug, snifter, snort, tot, whet; cocktail, mixed drink; ale, beer, brew, brewage, brewski [slang], home brew, malt liquor, microbrew, mum, nappy [chiefly Scottish]; mead, sake (or saki), wine; barley-bree (also barley-broo) [chiefly Scottish], brandy, gin, liqueur, mao-tai, mescal, schnapps, tequila, vodka, whiskey (or whisky); Dutch courage

Other Alcoholic Beverage Terms

finish, gimlet, mull, sake, setup, sommelier, syllabub, vintner, wassail

Rhymes with ALCOHOL

above all, aerosol, after all, all in all, altar call, barbital, basketball, body wall, borough hall, buckyball, butanol, butterball, buttonball, cannonball, carryall, caterwaul, cattle call, Chinese wall, city hall, climbing wall, conference call, cortisol, cover-all, coverall, crystal ball, curtain call, Demerol, disenthrall, Donegal, entresol, ethanol, evenfall, free-for-all, gasohol, girasole, gopher ball, Grand Guignol, haute école, hiring hall, judgment call, know-it-all, knuckleball, Komsomol, matzo ball, Mendenhall, methanol, music hall, Montreal, Nembutal, off-the-wall, overall, overcall, overhaul, paddleball, parasol, party wall, Pentothal, preinstall, protocol, racquetball, Seconal, Senegal, shopping mall, study hall, tattersall, tetherball, therewithal, timolol, uninstall, urban sprawl, volleyball, wailing wall, wake-up call, wall-to-wall, warts-and-all, waterfall, wherewithal

al·co·hol

noun \ˈal-kə-ˌhȯl\   (Medical Dictionary)

Medical Definition of ALCOHOL

1

a : ethanol especially when considered as the intoxicating agent in fermented and distilled liquors b : drink (as whiskey or beer) containing ethanol c : a mixture of ethanol and water that is usually 95 percent ethanol

2

: any of various compounds that are analogous to ethanol in constitution and that are hydroxyl derivatives of hydrocarbons

alcohol

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Any of a class of common organic compounds that contain one or more hydroxyl groups (OH) attached to one or more of the carbon atoms in a hydrocarbon chain. The number of other substituent groups (R) on that carbon atom make the alcohol a primary (RCHOH), secondary (RCHOH), or tertiary (RCOH) alcohol. Many alcohols occur naturally and are valuable intermediates in the synthesis of other compounds because of the characteristic chemical reactions of the hydroxyl group. Oxidation (see oxidation-reduction) of primary alcohols yields aldehydes and (if taken further) carboxylic acids; oxidation of secondary alcohols, ketones. Tertiary alcohols break down on oxidation. Alcohols generally react with carboxylic acids to produce esters. They may also be converted to ethers and olefins. Products of these numerous reactions include fats and waxes, detergents, plasticizers, emulsifiers, lubricants, emollients, and foaming agents. Ethanol (grain alcohol) and methanol (wood alcohol) are the best-known alcohols with one hydroxyl group. Glycols (e.g., ethylene glycol, or antifreeze) contain two hydroxyl groups, glycerol three, and polyols three or more. See also alcoholic beverage, alcoholism.