What does alcohol mean?
Alcohol is a noun with two closely related but distinct meanings. In everyday use, it refers to ethanol — the colourless, flammable liquid produced by fermenting sugars — which is the active ingredient in beer, wine, and spirits and acts as an intoxicant on the human nervous system. In chemistry, the term is broader: alcohol names an entire class of organic compounds characterised by one or more hydroxyl groups bonded to carbon atoms, encompassing substances such as methanol, isopropanol, and glycerol. The word appears constantly in medical, legal, and social contexts, from blood-alcohol measurements to public-health guidelines on safe drinking. Its register is neutral and scientific when used technically, but culturally loaded when applied to beverages. Derived forms include 'alcoholic' and 'alcoholism'. Notably, the word itself entered English through Arabic, where it originally described finely powdered antimony used as cosmetics — a meaning far removed from the drink it now denotes.
nounA colourless, volatile, flammable liquid produced by the fermentation of sugars, which is the intoxicating constituent of wine, beer, and spirits; more broadly, any of a class of organic compounds containing a hydroxyl group bonded to a carbon atom.
- Ethanol (ethyl alcohol), the intoxicating substance in beer, wine, and spirits.
- Any member of the class of organic compounds containing one or more hydroxyl (–OH) groups attached to a saturated carbon atom, such as methanol or glycerol.
"She poured a measure of alcohol into the glass and swirled it gently before tasting."
"He decided to give up alcohol for a month to see how it affected his sleep."
"Isopropyl alcohol is commonly used to disinfect surfaces and clean electronic components."
The plural 'alcohols' is used mainly in chemistry to refer collectively to different members of the alcohol class (e.g., methanol, ethanol, propanol).
"The lab stocks several different alcohols for use as solvents."
The word 'alcohol' comes from Arabic — it originally referred to a fine metallic powder used as eye makeup, centuries before anyone distilled a drink with it.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of alcohol
The word 'alcohol' entered English in the mid-16th century, borrowed via French and Latin from Arabic 'al-kuḥl' (الکحل), which originally denoted powdered antimony sulfide used as eye cosmetic. The Arabic term was later extended by distillers to mean anything finely divided or highly refined, including distilled spirits — hence its application to ethanol. It shares this Arabic root with other scientific terms absorbed into European languages during the medieval period, such as 'alkali', 'alchemy', and 'algebra'.
Related word forms
How alcohol is actually used
In chemistry contexts, 'alcohol' refers broadly to the entire class of hydroxyl-bearing compounds, while in everyday usage it almost always means ethanol or beverages containing it. The word carries no inherent moral connotation, though discussions of drinking often do.
Easily confused with alcohol
Glycols are a related class of alcohols with two hydroxyl groups; 'alcohol' in everyday use refers specifically to ethanol or alcoholic drinks.