crapulous
adjective
Did you know?
Crapulous may sound like a word that you shouldn't use in polite company, but it actually has a long and perfectly respectable history (although it's not a particularly kind way to describe someone). It is derived from the Late Latin adjective crapulosus, which, in turn, traces back to the Latin word crapula, meaning "intoxication." (The decidedly impolite word crap is unrelated; it comes from a British dialect term meaning "residue from rendered fat.") Crapula itself comes from a much older Greek word for the headache one gets from drinking too much alcohol. Crapulous first appeared in print in the 1530s. Approximately 200 years later, its close cousin crapulence arrived on the scene as a word for sickness caused by excessive drinking. Crapulence later acquired the meaning "great intemperance especially in drinking," but it is not an especially common word.
Examples of crapulous in a Sentence
Jesse Hawley, Discover Magazine, 17 Mar. 2021
The memory ends with the image of my friend squatting, crapulous, and dumping her purse on the sidewalk.
—Justin Torres, Los Angeles Times, 17 Mar. 2021
Dictionary Entries Near crapulous
Cite this Entry
“Crapulous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crapulous. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
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crapulous
adjective
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