What does alcoholise mean?
Alcoholise is a British-English verb meaning to treat or steep something with alcohol, to convert a substance into alcohol, or, figuratively, to habituate someone to drinking. It appears most often in technical contexts — chemistry, preservation of specimens, and historical accounts of distillation — where an extract might be alcoholised to keep it stable, or a spirit alcoholised to raise its strength. The word is the British counterpart of the American spelling alcoholize, differing only in the final letter, much like 'realise' versus 'realize'. It derives from the noun alcohol, which entered European languages from Arabic al-kuhl, the fine powder originally used as an eye cosmetic that later gave its name to distilled spirits. Because of its rarity, alcoholise reads as formal and slightly old-fashioned; writers today are more likely to reach for plainer terms such as 'fortify' or 'spike' when describing the addition of alcohol to something.
verbTo convert a substance into alcohol, or to treat or saturate something with alcohol; also, more broadly, to make dependent on or accustomed to drinking alcohol.
- To treat, steep, or impregnate something with alcohol, as in preserving specimens or fortifying extracts.
- To convert a substance into alcohol, especially by fermentation or distillation.
- To accustom a person to habitual drinking of alcohol.
"The chemist alcoholised the plant extract to preserve it for analysis."
"The museum conservators alcoholised the botanical specimens before sealing them in jars."
"Critics argued that the advertising campaign effectively alcoholised a generation of young viewers."
Same word, two spellings: write 'alcoholise' in London and 'alcoholize' in New York — the only thing that changes is the final letter.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of alcoholise
Alcoholise comes from the noun alcohol, which passed into European scientific vocabulary from Arabic al-kuhl (via Medieval Latin), a term originally denoting a fine cosmetic powder and later applied to distilled spirits. The verb was formed with the suffix -ise following the standard pattern of British verb formation, paralleling verbs such as 'realise' and 'sterilise'; American usage adopted the -ize ending instead. Its cognates include alcoholic, alcoholism, and other derivatives sharing the same Arabic root.
Related word forms
How alcoholise is actually used
This verb is chiefly British; American English uses the spelling 'alcoholize'. It is rare and largely confined to technical, medical, or historical writing, so it carries a formal register.
Easily confused with alcoholise
Alcoholize is simply the American spelling of the same verb, while alcoholise is the British spelling — they mean the same thing.