teetotal

C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ˈtiˈtoʊtl/ UK /tiːˈtəʊtl/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

adj
choosing or characterized by total abstinence from alcohol

She has been teetotal since her university days.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · choosing or characterized... abstinentabstemious sober dry temperate

Opposites

intemperatebibulousdrunken

Word family

Forms teetotaler

Derived forms teetotallerteetotalismteetotallyteetotaler

Related forms total

Simplified etymology

Teetotal was formed by repeating the first letter of total for emphasis and has no connection with tea. It was apparently first used in 1833 by Richard Turner, a member of the Preston temperance movement, in an appeal for abstinence from all alcohol.

Etymology

An emphatic reduplication of total (total abstinence), the 'tee-' representing the first letter of 'total' to stress complete abstinence; popularized in 1830s English temperance movements.

totalis Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# teetotal

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** /ˈtiˈtoʊtl/
**IPA (UK):** /tiːˈtəʊtl/

## Meanings
1. choosing or characterized by total abstinence from alcohol

## Examples
- She has been teetotal since her university days.

## Synonyms
- abstinent
- abstemious
- sober
- dry
- temperate

## Antonyms
- intemperate
- bibulous
- drunken

## Derived Forms
- teetotaller
- teetotalism
- teetotally
- teetotaler

## Related Forms
- total

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: totalis

## Etymology
An emphatic reduplication of total (total abstinence), the 'tee-' representing the first letter of 'total' to stress complete abstinence; popularized in 1830s English temperance movements.

## AI Etymology
Teetotal is an emphatic reduplication of total (total abstinence), the 'tee-' representing the first letter of 'total' to stress complete abstinence; popularized in 1830s English temperance movements. Important recorded forms include totalis (Latin). The modern sense is largely compositional, with the historical elements narrowing into a stable English lexical item. In current use it covers choosing or characterized by total abstinence from alcohol. The wider family includes derived forms such as teetotaller, teetotalism, teetotally, and teetotaler and related words such as total.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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