Translation
alcohol
Word origin
From Arabic al-kuhl, the powdered antimony used as eye cosmetic, where al- is simply the Arabic word for 'the'. European alchemists borrowed the term for any fine powder or purified essence obtained by distillation, and by the eighteenth century it had narrowed to the spirit in wine.
- Origin
- Arabic
- Root
- الكحل (al-kuḥl)
- English cognates
- alcohol, kohl
Examples
.
This beer contains only a little alcohol.
.
The doctor advised him to avoid alcohol.
; .
Wine and beer contain alcohol; water does not.
The - at the front is not Esperanto's preposition al. It is the Arabic definite article, fossilised inside the word when Europe borrowed it and never stripped off - so carries a silent "the" that nobody notices. Algebro, alkovo, almanako and alkemio are the same class of borrowing, each of them a European word with an Arabic "the" welded to the front.
There is no root koholo for a preposition to attach to, and no meaningful way to cut the word up. Treat - as one piece.
The derivations are the ordinary chemical set: alkohola (alcoholic, of a drink), o (an alcoholic, a person), senalkohola (alcohol-free).
Where this fits
Add to review queue
Track this word in your spaced-repetition queue and be tested on it at the right interval.
Go to my review queueEsperanto · Free printables
alkoholo: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the Esperanto word "alkoholo" (alcohol): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
Free for members
The printable worksheets, infographics and PDFs are free with an account. Start a free week and download as many as you like.
Start your free weekThis word is part of lesson 39.