Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun Any of a series of hydroxyl compounds, the simplest of which are derived from saturated hydrocarbons, have the general formula CnH2n+1OH, and include ethanol and methanol.
- noun A colorless volatile flammable liquid, C2H5OH, synthesized or obtained by fermentation of sugars and starches and widely used, either pure or denatured, as a solvent and in drugs, cleaning solutions, explosives, and intoxicating beverages.
- noun Intoxicating beverages containing ethanol considered as a group.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun A liquid, ethyl hydrate, C2H5OH, formed by the fermentation of aqueous sugar-solutions, or by the destructive distillation of organic bodies, as wood.
- noun In popular usage, any liquor containing this spirit.
- noun In organic chemistry, the general name of a series of compounds which may be regarded as derived from the normal hydrocarbons by replacing hydrogen with the group OH, or hydroxyl, and which correspond to the hydroxids of the metals.
- noun An impalpable powder.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun obsolete An impalpable powder.
- noun obsolete The fluid essence or pure spirit obtained by distillation.
- noun Pure spirit of wine; pure or highly rectified spirit (called also
ethyl alcohol orethanol , CH3.CH2.OH); the spirituous or intoxicating element of fermented or distilled liquors, or more loosely a liquid containing it in considerable quantity. It is extracted by simple distillation from various vegetable juices and infusions of a saccharine nature, which have undergone vinous fermentation. - noun (Organic Chem.) A class of compounds analogous to vinic alcohol in constitution. Chemically speaking, they are hydroxides of certain organic radicals
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun organic chemistry, countable Any of a
class oforganic compounds (such asethanol ) containing ahydroxyl functional group (-OH). - noun uncountable An
intoxicating beverage made by thefermentation ofsugar or sugar-containing material.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun a liquor or brew containing alcohol as the active agent
- noun any of a series of volatile hydroxyl compounds that are made from hydrocarbons by distillation
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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Methyl alcohol is obtained entirely from this source, and on this account is commonly called _wood alcohol_.
An Elementary Study of Chemistry William McPherson
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In chemistry, the term alcohol is applied to a large family of substances with a similar molecular structure.
On Food and Cooking, The Science and Lore of the Kitchen Harold McGee 2004
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In chemistry, the term alcohol is applied to a large family of substances with a similar molecular structure.
On Food and Cooking, The Science and Lore of the Kitchen Harold McGee 2004
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Our word alcohol comes from medieval Arab alchemy, which strongly influenced Western science and gave it several other important terms, including chemistry, alkali, and algebra.
On Food and Cooking, The Science and Lore of the Kitchen Harold McGee 2004
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Our word alcohol comes from medieval Arab alchemy, which strongly influenced Western science and gave it several other important terms, including chemistry, alkali, and algebra.
On Food and Cooking, The Science and Lore of the Kitchen Harold McGee 2004
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The term alcohol withdrawal syndrome is used for describing the whole group of symptoms that occur as a result of sudden withdrawal from alcohol after a prolonged period of consumption.
xml's Blinklist.com 2008
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The term alcohol withdrawal syndrome is used for describing the whole group of symptoms that occur as a result of sudden withdrawal from alcohol after a prolonged period of consumption.
xml's Blinklist.com 2008
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The higher alcohol is a function of its California roots, but it was like satin sheets in the mouth.
What We Drank 2009
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If it has a downside, I would argue the alcohol is a little high; a couple of glasses of this wine and you really start to feel it.
The Future of Malbec Will Lyons 2010
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Once the alcohol is absorbed into the blood stream, the blood carries it across the blood-brain barrier.
Waldo Jaquith - The Supreme Court is taking a religion case. 2008
chained_bear commented on the word alcohol
Writing in the magazine sub-TERRAIN, John More makes the following declaration: "Captains of industry, great generals, artists of genius, even politicians, are often just people who have discovered that alcohol can enable them to make economic, tactical, creative, or political decisions whose implications would paralyze a sober individual."
September 10, 2008
kdance commented on the word alcohol
An Irish queer is a fellow who prefers women to drink.
-Scan O'Faolain
September 25, 2009
biocon commented on the word alcohol
ML alcohol = 1. a powder used as eye salve; 2. kohl (an eye shadow consisting of antimony or soot mixed with other ingredients, which was used esp. in Arabia and Egypt); 3. a spirit, drinking alcohol.
Arabic al-kuhul = powdered antimony.
Alcohol is a compound derived by replacing ≥1 hydrogen of a hydrocarbon with an equal number of hydroxyls (OH–). Alcohols have the chemical formula is CnH2n+1OH].
July 10, 2011
hernesheir commented on the word alcohol
1906 US Railway Assn. Standard Cipher Code; telegraphers' shorthand for "Make transfer of agency at".
January 19, 2013