imbibe
Use Imbibe in a sentence
verb (used with object)
1.
to consume (liquids) by drinking; drink: He imbibed great quantities of iced tea.
2.
to absorb or soak up, as water, light, or heat: Plants imbibe moisture from the soil.
3.
to take or receive into the mind, as knowledge, ideas, or the like: to imbibe a sermon; to imbibe beautiful scenery.
verb (used without object)
4.
to drink, especially alcoholic beverages: Just a soft drink for me—I don't imbibe.
5.
to absorb liquid or moisture.
6.
Archaic. to soak or saturate; imbue.
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Imbibe
is one of our favorite verbs.
So is kibitz. Does it mean:
| chat, to converse |
| to swindle, cheat, hoodwink, or hoax. |
Origin:
1350–1400; < Latin imbibere to drink in, equivalent to im- im-1 + bibere to drink; replacing Middle English enbiben < Middle French embiber < Latin, as above
1350–1400; < Latin imbibere to drink in, equivalent to im- im-1 + bibere to drink; replacing Middle English enbiben < Middle French embiber < Latin, as above
Related forms
im·bib·er, noun
pre·im·bibe, verb (used with object), pre·im·bibed, pre·im·bib·ing.
un·im·bibed, adjective
un·im·bib·ing, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
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Link To imbibe
Collins
World English Dictionary
imbibe (ɪmˈbaɪb) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —vb | |
| 1. | to drink (esp alcoholic drinks) |
| 2. | literary to take in or assimilate (ideas, facts, etc): to imbibe the spirit of the Renaissance |
| 3. | (tr) to take in as if by drinking: to imbibe fresh air |
| 4. | to absorb or cause to absorb liquid or moisture; assimilate or saturate |
| [C14: from Latin imbibere, from bibere to drink] | |
| im'biber | |
| —n | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
imbibe
late 14c., from O.Fr. embiber "to soak into," from L. imbibere "absorb, drink in, inhale," from in- "in" + bibere "to drink," related to potare "to drink," from PIE *pi-/*po(i)- "to drink (cf. Skt. pati "drinks," panam "beverage;" Gk. pinein "to drink," potos "a drinking;" O.C.S. piti "to drink"). Figurative
sense of "mentally drink in" (knowledge, ideas, etc.) was the main one in classical L., first attested in Eng. 1555.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
Adult butterflies imbibe nectar from their larval host plants, and a wide variety of other flowers.
The staff want guests to imbibe, while the guests want to stretch their drinks as far as possible.
Impermeable seeds require scarification or degradation of the seed coat by microbial action to imbibe water and germinate.
They learn their maxims, imbibe their spirit, and are moulded upon their example.
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