SC - Al-Cohol
James Gilly / Alasdair mac Iain
alasdair.maciain at snet.net
Sun Nov 15 05:55:44 PST 1998
At 06:55 15-11-98 -0600, Bear wrote:
>"Alcohol of wine" appears in 1672. Since
>alcohol is an English word, a check of the OED should provide some of the
>references required.
I just happen to have a copy right here.... 8) [runs downstairs to grab
volume 1]
Alcohol Also 6-8 alcool, alcho(h)ol, alcohole. [a. med. L., *alcohol*
ad, Arab. *al-koh'l* 'collyrium,' the fine powder used to stain the
eyelids, f. *kahala*, Heb. *kakhal*, to stain, paint : see *Ezekiel* xxiii,
40. It appeared in Eng., as in most of the mod. langs. in 16th c. Cf, Fr.
*allcohol*, now *alcool*.]
1. *orig*. The fine metallic powder usedin the East to stain the
eyelids, etc. : powdered ore of antimony, stibnite, or antimony trisulphide
known to the Greeks in this use as
[Greek alphabet not reproducible here]; also, sometimes, powdered galena or
lead ore. *Obs*.
[citations omitted, the earliest being from 1615]
2. Hence, by extension (in early *Chem*.): Any fine impalpable powder
produced by trituration, or especially by sublimation; as *alcohol martis*
reduced iron, *alcohol of sulphur* flower of brimstone, etc. *Obs*.
[citations omitted, the earliest being from 1543]
3. By extension to fluids of the idea of sublimation: An essence,
quintessence, or 'spirit,' obtained by distillation or 'rectification'; as
*alcohol of wine*, essence or spirit of wine. *Obs*.
[citations omitted, the earliest being from 1594]
b. *fig*. Quintessence, condensed spirit.
[one citation from 1830]
4. (Short for *alcohol of wine*, this being the most familiar of
'rectified spirits.') The pure or rectified spirit of wine, the spirituous
or intoxicating element in fermented liquors. Also, *popularly*, any
liquor containing this spirit. *Absolute* or *anhydrous alcohol*: alcohol
entirely free from water.
[citations omitted, the earliest being from 1753]
[definition 5, referring to organic chemistry, omitted]
Alasdair mac Iain
Laird Alasdair mac Iain of Elderslie
Dun an Leomhain Bhig
Canton of Dragon's Aerie [southeastern CT]
Barony Beyond the Mountain [northern & southeastern CT]
East Kingdom
- ------- ------- -------
Argent, a chevron cotised azure surmounted by a sword and in chief two
mullets sable
============================================================================
To be removed from the SCA-Cooks mailing list, please send a message to
Majordomo at Ansteorra.ORG with the message body of "unsubscribe SCA-Cooks".
============================================================================
More information about the Sca-cooks
mailing list