al·co·hol  (?l?k?-hôl?, -h?l?)n.1. Any of a series of hydroxyl compounds, the simplest of which are derived from saturated hydrocarbons, have the general formula CnH2n+1OH, and include ethanol and methanol.2. A colorless volatile flammable liquid, C2H5OH, synthesized or obtained by fermentation of sugars and starches and widely used, either pure or denatured, as a solvent and in drugs, cleaning solutions, explosives, and intoxicating beverages. Also called ethanol, ethyl alcohol, grain alcohol.3. Intoxicating beverages containing ethanol considered as a group: the national consumption of alcohol.[Medieval Latin, fine metallic powder, especially of antimony, from Arabic al-ku?l : al-, the + ku?l, powder of antimony; see kx?l in Semitic roots.]Word History: The al- in alcohol may alert some readers to the fact that this is a word of Arabic descent, as is the case with algebra and alkali, al- being the Arabic definite article corresponding to the in English. The second part of the word, -cohol, comes from Arabic ku?l, the word for a fine powder (most often made from antimony) used as a cosmetic to darken the eyelids. In fact, ku?l has given us the word kohl for such a preparation. The Arabic phrase al-ku?, “the kohl,” was borrowed into Medieval Latin as one word, alcohol, “ko?l.” From Medieval Latin it was borrowed into English in the 16th century. In English, alcohol came to refer to any fine powder produced in a number of ways, as by heating a substance to a gaseous state and then cooling it. Alcohol could also be used to refer to essences obtained by distillation. One of these distilled essences produced by alchemists and early chemists, known as alcohol of wine, was the constituent of fermented liquors that causes intoxication, and the term alcohol came to refer to this essence (what modern chemists would call ethanol) in particular. Eventually, the liquors that contained this essence began to be called alcohol, too. In the terminology of modern chemistry, alcohol has also come to refer to the class of compounds to which ethanol belongs.American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.alcohol (?ælk??h?l) n1. (Chemistry) Also called: ethanol or ethyl alcohol a colourless flammable liquid, the active principle of intoxicating drinks, produced by the fermentation of sugars, esp glucose, and used as a solvent and in the manufacture of organic chemicals. Formula: C2H5OH2. (Brewing) a drink or drinks containing this substance3. (Elements & Compounds) chem any one of a class of organic compounds that contain one or more hydroxyl groups bound to carbon atoms. The simplest alcohols have the formula ROH, where R is an alkyl group. Compare phenol2 See also diol, triol[C16: via New Latin from Medieval Latin, from Arabic al-kuhl powdered antimony; see kohl]Collins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014al?co?hol (?æl k??h?l, -?h?l) n. 1. Also called ethyl alcohol , grain alcohol, ethanol. a colorless, volatile, flammable liquid, C2H5OH, produced by yeast fermentation of carbohydrates or, synthetically, by hydration of ethylene: used chiefly as a solvent and in beverages and medicines. 2. an intoxicating liquor containing this liquid. 3. any of a class of chemical compounds having the general formula ROH, where R represents an alkyl group and ?OH a hydroxyl group. [1535?45;