Inebrious

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Intoxicated or in a state of drunkenness from consuming alcoholic beverages
2. Characterized by intoxication or a state of being drunk due to the consumption of alcoholic drinks
3. Pertaining to a condition of intoxication often resulting from drinking alcoholic beverages excessively

Etymology: The Latin root is "ebrius," meaning "drunk," which English kept in "ebriety," the formal word for drunkenness. Latin added the prefix "in-" to make "inebriare," "to make drunk" or "to intoxicate," and from that came "inebriosus," "full of drink" or "intoxicating." English took the Latin verb as "inebriate," which is far more common today, and formed this adjective from the same Latin source. Its exact date of entry is uncertain, but it is a learned borrowing from the Latin, not a word that came through everyday speech. Because the adjective is so rare, it shows how English often takes a Latin base in several forms at once, with one version becoming the everyday word and the others lingering in specialist or literary use.

Synonyms: intoxicating, inebriating, tipsy, boozy, drunken

Antonyms: sober, clear-headed, abstinent, dry, temperate