Nearby Words
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 lollygag. Does it mean:
| to spend time idly; loaf. |
| to expurgate (a written work) by removing or modifying passages considered vulgar or objectionable. |
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), -bibed, -bib·ing.
un·im·bibed, adjective
un·im·bib·ing, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Link To imbibe
Collins
World English Dictionary
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
EXPANDsense of "mentally drink in" (knowledge, ideas, etc.) was the main one in classical L., first attested in Eng. 1555.
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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