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noun B1 Intermediate Common

alcohol

AL-kuh-hol
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Alcohol (noun) means Ethanol, the intoxicating chemical found in beer, wine, and spirits. Example: “She avoids alcohol during the week.”

noun
1
Ethanol, the intoxicating chemical found in beer, wine, and spirits.
"She avoids alcohol during the week."
"The recipe calls for wine, but the alcohol cooks off during simmering."
"Doctors advise pregnant women not to drink any alcohol."
2
Drinks that contain ethanol, considered as a group.
"The store doesn't sell alcohol after 10pm."
"Guests are welcome to bring their own alcohol to the party."
"The shop was fined for selling alcohol to someone under age."
3
In chemistry, any of a family of organic compounds containing a hydroxyl (-OH) group, of which ethanol is just one example.
"Isopropyl alcohol is used to clean wounds, not drunk."
"Methanol is a type of alcohol that is poisonous to drink."
"The chemistry teacher explained how an alcohol differs from a simple hydrocarbon."

How to use alcohol

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishThe chemical in beer, wine, and spirits that makes them intoxicating; also used as a general chemistry term for a whole family of related compounds.

Common mistake

In everyday speech "alcohol" almost always means the drinkable kind (ethanol); the broader chemistry sense (isopropyl alcohol, etc.) is a separate, more technical use.

Common pairings
drink alcohol alcohol content rubbing alcohol
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Word forms

Plural
alcohols
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Fill the gap

Can you complete this real example?

She avoids _____ during the week.

Etymology

From Medieval Latin alcohol, from Arabic al-kuhl, originally referring to a fine powder (kohl eyeliner). The meaning shifted over centuries — first to "any fine powder," then to distilled spirits, and finally, by the 1800s, to the specific chemical ethanol.

Origin: Medieval Latin · First attested 1800

Class of 1800 alcohol joined the language around 1800.
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Synonyms

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ethanol liquor spirits booze drink hard liquor inebriant intoxicant alcoholic drink alcoholic beverage

Related words

drink spirit drinking mood sauce spirits liquor drank

Frequently asked questions

What does “alcohol” mean?
The word “alcohol” means ethanol, the intoxicating chemical found in beer, wine, and spirits. In plain terms, the chemical in beer, wine, and spirits that makes them intoxicating; also used as a general chemistry term for a whole family of related compounds.
How do you pronounce “alcohol”?
“Alcohol” is pronounced AL-kuh-hol (/ˈæl.kə.hɔl/ in IPA).
How do you use “alcohol” in a sentence?
Here is “alcohol” used in a sentence: “She avoids alcohol during the week.”
What part of speech is “alcohol”?
“Alcohol” is a noun.
Where does the word “alcohol” come from?
The word “alcohol” dates back to around 1800 and comes from Medieval Latin.
Is “alcohol” a common word?
“Alcohol” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the B1 level.
How many meanings does “alcohol” have?
“Alcohol” has 3 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: ethanol, the intoxicating chemical found in beer, wine, and spirits.
What is the difference between alcohol and ethanol?
In everyday speech, alcohol means the drinkable substance in beer, wine, and spirits — and that substance is ethanol. Ethanol is simply its precise chemical name. In chemistry, though, 'alcohol' covers a whole family of related compounds, many of which are toxic and not safe to drink, so the terms are not always interchangeable.
Is alcohol a drug?
Yes. Alcohol is classed as a drug because it changes how the brain and body work, acting as a depressant that slows the nervous system. It can impair judgement and coordination and is capable of causing dependence. It is legal and widely used, but medically it is still considered a psychoactive drug.
How is alcohol made?
The alcohol in drinks is produced by fermentation, in which yeast feeds on sugars from fruit, grain, or other plants and converts them into ethanol. Beer and wine are made this way. Spirits go a step further through distillation, which concentrates the alcohol to produce a much stronger drink.

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Words with Latin origins 7 letter words Words that start with A Words that end with L The 5000 most common English words

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