alcool

alcohol

noun al-KOL Less Common

Origin: Arabic al-kuḥl (the kohl, later generalised to any distilled spirit)

Usage Note

Alcool is borrowed from Arabic via medieval Latin and covers both the beverage and the chemical compound. In everyday speech, sans alcool (non-alcoholic) is a common label on drinks. The adjective alcoolisé means alcoholic (as a property), while alcoolique describes a person with alcohol dependency.

Examples

"Il ne boit pas d'alcool."

Natural Translation

He does not drink alcohol.

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