ENGLISH
REFERENCE

absinthism

n.
C2 Proficiency ab·sinthism

n. a state of being very drunk or having a strong desire to drink alcohol. It is an old-fashioned word that people rarely use today.

n. a state of extreme intoxication or a pathological condition of habitual drunkenness. Archaic in modern usage; primarily found in historical medical or literary contexts.


SIMPLE

The doctor warned him about the dangers of absinthism.

CONTEXTUAL

In the nineteenth century, doctors often treated absinthism as a serious medical condition requiring strict isolation.

COMPLEX

The protagonist's descent into absinthism serves as a metaphor for the destructive power of obsession in the novel.

Origin

From absinthe + -ism.

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