Bibber

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. One who drinks alcohol excessively or habitually, especially in reference to an archaic or dialectal term for a drunkard
2. An individual who habitually consumes alcoholic beverages to excess, often with a connotation of addiction or dependency
3. A person characterized by a frequent and excessive consumption of alcohol, often reflecting a history of drunkenness or dependency

Etymology: Bibber is a plain formation: the verb "bib", meaning to drink heartily or tipple, with the agent suffix "-er" attached, so it names someone who bibs. The verb is the older and more surprising piece. It comes from Middle English "bibben", and it has nothing to do with the cloth bib tied around a child's neck, even though the two words are spelled identically today. The clothing sense belongs to a separate later word for a garment protecting the front of the body. Bibber itself first appears in print in the 1530s. Its sense has stayed close to its origin: where "bib" once described heavy, repeated drinking, "bibber" names the person who does it habitually, with the modern connotation of dependence growing out of that heavy-drinking sense.

Synonyms: drunkard, tippler, lush, sot

Antonyms: sober, teetotaler