Word: drink Part of Speech: verb Etymology: From Middle English drinken, from Old English drincan (“to drink, swallow up, engulf”), from Proto-West Germanic *drinkan, from Proto-Germanic *drinkaną (“to drink”), of uncertain origin; possibly from Proto-Indo-European *dʰrenǵ- (“to draw into one's mouth, sip, gulp”), nasalised variant of *dʰreǵ- (“to draw, glide”). Cognates Cognate with Yola drink (“to drink”), North Frisian drank, drainke, drink, drinke (“to drink”), West Frisian drinke (“to drink”), Alemannic German trénge, trenhu, trinche, tringhien, trinke (“to drink”), Bavarian dringa, trinckn, trinkhn, trinkn (“to drink”), Cimbrian trinkan, trinkhan (“to drink”), Dutch and Low German drinken (“to drink”), German and Mòcheno trinken (“to drink”), Luxembourgish drénken (“to drink”), Yiddish טרינקען (trinken, “to drink”), Danish and Norwegian Bokmål drikke (“to drink”), Elfdalian drikka (“to drink”), Faroese and Icelandic drekka (“to drink”), Jutish drenk (“to drink”), Norwegian Nynorsk drikka, drikke (“to drink”), Swedish dricka (“to drink”), Gothic 𐌳𐍂𐌹𐌲𐌺𐌰𐌽 (drigkan, “to drink”), Vandalic drincan (“to drink”), French trinquer (“to booze, drink alcohol”), Italian trincare (“to knock back (a drink)”), Spanish trincar (“to get drunk”). Pronunciation: /ˈdɹɪŋk/, [ˈd͡ɹ̝ʷɪŋk] ~ [ˈd̠͡ɹ̠˔ʷɪŋk], /ˈdɹiŋk/, [d͡ɹ̝ʷiŋk] ~ [ˈd̠͡ɹ̠˔ʷiŋk], [d͡ɹ̝ʷɪ̝ŋk] ~ [ˈd̠͡ɹ̠˔ʷɪ̝ŋk] 1. To consume (a liquid) through the mouth. Labels: ambitransitive Example: He drank the water I gave him. Example: You can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink. 2. To consume the liquid contained within (a bottle, glass, etc.). Labels: metonymically, transitive Example: Jack drank the whole bottle by himself. 3. To consume alcoholic beverages. Labels: intransitive Example: You've been drinking, haven't you? Example: No thanks, I don't drink. 4. To take in (a liquid), in any manner; to suck up; to absorb; to imbibe. Labels: transitive Example: Let the purple violets drink the stream. 5. To take in; to receive within one, through the senses; to inhale; to hear; to see. Labels: transitive Example: My ears have not yet drunk a hundred words / Of that tongue's utterance. 6. To toast (someone or something) with a drink, honour; to wish well (see drink to), especially Labels: archaic, transitive Example: Drink to lofty hopes that cool — Visions of a perfect State : Drink we, last, the public fool, Frantic love and frantic hate. 7. To toast (someone or something) with a drink, honour; to wish well (see drink to), especially: Labels: archaic, transitive Example: At the same time were great Acclamations & they drunk Damnation to Dʳ. Sacheverell, Mʳ Tilly, and all the Dʳˢ friends. Example: I ought not to have neglected a request of one of my correspondents so long as I have; but I dare say I have given him time to add practice to profession. He sent me some time ago a bottle or two of excellent wine to drink the health of a gentleman had by the penny post advertised him of an egregious error in his conduct. […] 8. To toast (someone or something) with a drink, honour; to wish well (see drink to), especially: Labels: archaic, obsolete, transitive Example: Had our great Pall ace the capacity To Campe this hoſt, we all would ſup together, And drinke Carowſes to the next dayes Fate Which promiſes Royall perill, Trumpetters With brazen dinne blaſt you the Cittics eare, Make mingle with our ratling Tabourines, That heauen and earth may ſtrike their ſounds together, Applauding our approach. 9. To smoke, as tobacco. Labels: obsolete, transitive Example: And some men now live ninety yeeres and past, Who never dranke tobacco first nor last. 10. Used in phrasal verbs: drink down, drink in, drink off, drink out, drink to, drink up.