alcohol

Where does the word "alcohol" come from? It comes from Arabic al-kuḥl, passing through Medieval Latin and French before entering English (c. 1700s).

Alcohol’s story begins in Arabic: al-kuḥl meant “kohl, powdered antimony.” A fine powder of antimony used as eye makeup. By c. 1500s, the word had taken hold in Medieval Latin as alcohol. Scholars in Spain generalized it to mean any fine distilled essence; the physician Paracelsus (1493–1541) called the distilled spirit of wine 'alcohol vini', and chemists later dropped the 'vini'. From there it passed into French as alcool by c. 1600s. Narrowed to mean the spirit distilled from wine. It reached English by c. 1700s as alcohol. Settled on its modern chemical sense. Today, alcohol means the intoxicating ingredient in wine, beer, and spirits.

1. Stage 1 · Arabic · medieval al-kuḥl "kohl, powdered antimony", a fine powder of antimony used as eye makeup.
2. Stage 2 · Medieval Latin · c. 1500s alcohol "a distilled essence or fine powder", scholars in Spain generalized it to mean any fine distilled essence; the physician Paracelsus (1493–1541) called the distilled spirit of wine 'alcohol vini', and chemists later dropped the 'vini'.
3. Stage 3 · French · c. 1600s alcool "distilled spirit", narrowed to mean the spirit distilled from wine.
4. Stage 4 · English · c. 1700s alcohol "the intoxicating compound in spirits", settled on its modern chemical sense.