Dipso
/ˈdɪp.soʊ/noun
An informal term for a person addicted to alcohol, especially someone who drinks excessively.
Did you know?The word descends from Greek dipsa, “thirst,” and was popularized through the 19th-century medical term “dipsomania,” once used for compulsive alcohol craving.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*dʰegʷʰ-
“To burn or be hot; a reconstructed root associated with the burning sensation of thirst”
Ancient Greek
Greek
δίψα (dípsa)
“Thirst, especially intense thirst”
Ancient Greek
Greek
διψάω (dipsáō)
“To thirst or be thirsty”
19th Century
English
dipsomania
“A presumed medical disorder involving an irresistible craving for alcohol”
Late 19th–20th Century
English
dipso
“A shortened informal form meaning an alcoholic or habitual heavy drinker”
Modern English
English
dipso
“An informal, often dated term for a person addicted to alcohol”