teetotal en · ADJ
Pronunciation
- /ˌtiːˈtəʊtəl/
- (Southern-England) audio
Etymology
From total, the reduplicated tee acts as an intensifier, hence T-total. First use appears in 1834.
Meanings
-
Abstinent from alcohol; never drinking alcohol.
‘He’s teetotal. Don’t touch a drop.’
1960, J. E. Macdonnell, Don't Gimme the Ships, Melbourne: Horwitz Publications, page 65:There is absolutely a teetotal society here in the heart of the mountains, and some quarrelsome drunkards have become reformed!
[1846], Religious Tract Society (Great Britain) (contributor), Jamaica, Enslaved and Free, →OCLC, page 88:
- Opposed to the drinking of alcohol.
- (of a beverage) Containing no alcohol.
-
(dated, emphatic) Total.
That's a teetotal lie.
1858, Samuel Putnam Avery, The Harp of a Thousand Strings: Or, Laughter for a Lifetime, page 331:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| most teetotal | Degree=Sup | lexicographic | |
| more teetotal | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic |
Deriveds
teetotaller · unteetotal · teetotally · teetotalism · teetotalist · teetotalistic · antiteetotal · teetotalling · teetotaler
Relateds
Synonyms
Translations (22)
es aguado (abstinent from alcohol) · bg абсолютен (emphatic: total) · cy llwyrymwrthodol (abstinent from alcohol) · ru тре́звенница (abstinent from alcohol) · fr abstinent (abstinent from alcohol) · de völlig abstinent (abstinent from alcohol) · es abstemio (abstinent from alcohol) · cmn 滴酒不沾的 (abstinent from alcohol) · es total (emphatic: total) · es temperante (abstinent from alcohol) · de gänzlich enthaltsam (abstinent from alcohol) · fi raivoraitis (abstinent from alcohol) · fi raivoraitis (opposed to the drinking of alcohol) · es abstemio (opposed to the drinking of alcohol) · it astemio (abstinent from alcohol) · ru тре́звенник (abstinent from alcohol) · bg въздържателен (abstinent from alcohol) · cy dirwestol (abstinent from alcohol) · cy dirwestol (opposed to the drinking of alcohol) · cy llwyrymwrthodol (opposed to the drinking of alcohol) · et karske (abstinent from alcohol) · bg пълен (emphatic: total)