Crapulency

/ˈkræpjuːlənsi/ noun

Definition

The state of being drunk or the sickness that comes from drinking too much alcohol.

Etymology

From Late Latin crapula (drunkenness), derived from Greek kraipalē (hangover). The suffix -ency indicates a state or condition. The word evolved in Medieval Latin to describe both intoxication and its unpleasant aftermath.

Kelly Says

This beautifully obscure word captures something modern English struggles with—we have 'hangover' for the morning-after, but 'crapulency' elegantly names the whole condition of drunken excess. The Romans had a specific word for this moral failing because they were obsessed with regulating excess.

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