Inebriate

Part of speech: verb, noun

Pronunciation: /ɪˈniːbɹiət/

Definitions

A person who habitually drinks excessive amounts of alcohol or the state of being intoxicated
to make drunk or intoxicated | to stupefy with liquor
to cause intoxication or drunkenness through alcoholic consumption

Etymology: The word originated in the early 17th century as a verb meaning "to intoxicate" or "to make drunk." It was formed by adding the Latin-derived suffix "-ate," which often turns nouns or adjectives into verbs, to a root that traces back to the Latin verb "inebriāre." This Latin source itself comes from "in-" meaning "in" or "into," combined with "ebrius," meaning "drunk." Thus, the original sense was quite literal: to put someone into a state of drunkenness. As a noun, it emerged slightly later, denoting a person who is intoxicated or habitually drunk. This nominal form naturally evolved from the verb, following a common pattern in English where the agent or result of an action is named by the same word used as a noun. The noun form carries a somewhat formal or literary tone, often found in older texts or legal and medical writing rather than everyday speech. The Latin root "ebrius" relates to the Proto-Indo-European root *h₁ebʰ-, which means "to drink," connecting the term to an ancient linguistic lineage concerned with the act of drinking itself. Over time, the English term retained this connection to alcohol consumption but also acquired a broader figurative sense of overwhelming or overwhelming influence, though this is less common. While the word’s core meaning remained stable, its use has shifted slightly in modern English. It is now somewhat archaic or formal, replaced more often by simpler terms like "drunk" or "intoxicated" in everyday conversation. However, it still appears in literature and legal contexts to describe the state of intoxication or the individual who is under the influence of alcohol.

Synonyms: intoxicate, drunken, tipsy, addict, stagger

Antonyms: sober, clean, abstain, detoxify, moderate