Dictionary

drinkle en · VERB

Pronunciation

• /ˈdɹɪŋkl̩/

Etymology

From Middle English drinklen, drinkelen, drenklen (“to plunge, drown”), from Old English *drenclian (“to drown”), frequentative form of Old English drenċan (“to give to drink, give drink to, drench, make drunk, ply with drink; soak, saturate; submerge, drown, plunge; sink”), equivalent to drink + -le and drench + -le. Compare dronkle, drunkle.

Meanings

1. (transitive) To drink (an alcoholic beverage); also, to cause (someone) to drink such a beverage; to drench; to drown.
   • We built a fire in the huge fireplace, then sat around drinkling bootleg beer and whiskey, compliments of Joe himself, Valley High's greatest athlete. 1965, John Treadwell Nichols, The Sterile Cuckoo:
2. (intransitive) To drink an alcoholic beverage; also, to become intoxicated; to get drunk.
   • 'Get this one into bed and it's a royal flush!' His face twinkled, his gums sparkled, his eyes kindled, his brow darkened. I bridled and bristled, nettled and rankled, then drinkled and drankled some more. 2009, Claire Kilroy, All Names Have Been Changed:
3. (intransitive) To drown.
   • And the Mercury states that "the heavy rain drenched the field, and most betook themselves to a retreat, but the rats were all drinkled". 1900, George Borrow, “Notes to Lavengro, with Corrections, Identifications and Translations”, in Lavengro […], new edition, London: John Murray, […], →OCLC, page 562:

Forms

Deriveds

drinkling