Intoxicant
/ɪnˈtɒk.sɪ.kənt/noun
A substance that causes intoxication, especially alcohol or a drug.
Did you know?Its core comes from Latin toxicum, linked to Greek toxikon, a term for poison associated with arrows, so the word’s deep history is about lethal weapons, not party culture.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
toxikón
“poison for arrows”
Latin
Latin
toxicum
“poison”
Late Latin
Latin
intoxicāre
“to poison, to drug”
Middle English
English
intoxicant
“poisonous or stupefying substance”
Modern English
English
intoxicant
“a substance that causes intoxication”
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