Breathalyzed

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Checked for alcohol intoxication by having someone blow into a device that measures the alcohol content of their breath
2. Had one's breath analyzed by a portable device to determine how much alcohol was in the bloodstream
3. Subjected to a breath test that estimates blood alcohol concentration, typically by police during a traffic stop

Etymology: "Breathalyzed" is the past tense of "breathalyze," meaning to test someone's breath for alcohol. "Breathalyze" is a back-formation: speakers took "breathalyzer," the name of the device that analyzes breath, and removed its "-er" ending to create a verb, which then took the regular "-ed" past tense.

Synonyms: test, screen