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Origin and history of drinking

drinking(n.)

late 12c., drinkinge, "the action of drinking," especially drinking for pleasure, verbal noun from drink (v.). Drinking problem "alcoholism" is by 1953; earlier was drinking habit (by 1825).

also from late 12c.

Entries linking to drinking

drink(v.)

Old English drincan "to swallow water or other fluid," also "to swallow up, engulf" (class III strong verb; past tense dranc, past participle druncen), from Proto-Germanic *drenkanan (source also of Old Saxon drinkan, Old Frisian drinka, Dutch drinken, Old High German trinkan, German trinken, Old Norse drekka, Gothic drigkan "to drink"), which is of uncertain origin or connections, perhaps from a root meaning "to draw."

Most Indo-European words for this trace to PIE *po(i)- (source of Greek pino, Latin biber, Irish ibim, Old Church Slavonic piti, Russian pit'; see imbibe).

Figurative meaning "take in through the senses" is from late 12c. Especially "to imbibe spiritous liquors" from mid-15c. To drink to "salute in drinking" is by mid-13c. To drink like a fish is recorded from 1744. To drink (someone) under the table "continue drinking and remain (comparatively) sober after others have passed out" is by 1909.

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    scale
    .); earlier still "drinking cup" (c. 1200), from Old Norse skal "bowl, drinking cup," in plural, "weighing scale."...skala "a bowl (to drink from)," Old High German scala, German Schale "a bowl, dish, cup," Middle Dutch scale, Dutch schaal "drinking...The connecting sense seems to be of half of a bivalve ("split") shell used as a drinking cup or a pan for weighing; compare...But according to Paulus Diaconus the "drinking cup" sense originated from a supposed custom of making goblets from skulls...
    binge
    1854, "drinking bout," also (v.) "drink heavily, soak up alcohol;" dialectal use of binge "soak" (a wooden vessel)....He adds that it was extended locally to excessive drinking ("soaking"). The sense was extended c....World War I to include eating as well as drinking. Binge-watching is from 1996. Related: Binged; bingeing....
    symposium
    1580s, "account of a gathering or party," from Latin symposium "drinking party, symposium," from Greek symposion "drinking...party, convivial gathering of the educated" (related to sympotes "drinking companion"), from assimilated form of syn- "together..." (see syn-) + posis "a drinking," from a stem of Aeolic ponen "to drink," from PIE root *po(i)- "to drink."...
    chalice
    "drinking-cup or bowl," early 14c., from Anglo-French chalice, from Old French chalice, collateral form of calice (Modern...French calice), from Latin calicem (nominative calix) "cup," similar to, and perhaps cognate with, Greek kylix "cup, drinking...
    gout
    It often was caused by the drinking of heavy or sweet wines, or excessive beer drinking combined with insufficient food....
    bevy
    One supposed definition of the word is "a drinking bout," but this perhaps is a misprint of bever (see beverage)....If not, perhaps the original sense is birds gathered at a puddle or pool for drinking or bathing....
    wassail
    Use as a drinking phrase appears to have arisen among Danes in England and spread to native inhabitants....A similar formation appears in Old English wes þu hal, but this is not recorded as a drinking salutation....
    warder
    c. 1400, "guardian of an entrance," from Anglo-French wardere, wardour "guardian, keeper, custodian" (Old French gardeor), agent noun from Old North French warder "to guard, keep, maintain, uphold" (Old French garder), from Frankish *wardon, from Proto-Germanic *wardon "to guard,
    reward
    mid-14c., "what one deserves, just desserts," from Anglo-French and Old North French reward, rouwart, back-formation from rewarder (see reward (v.)). The meaning "return or payment for service, hardship, etc.," also "something given in recognition of merit, virtue, etc., a prize"
    pledge
    mid-14c., plegge, "surety, bail," from Old French plege (Modern French pleige) "hostage, security, bail," also Anglo-Latin plegium, both probably from Frankish *plegan "to guarantee," from *pleg-, a West Germanic root meaning "have responsibility for" (source also of Old Saxon pl

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