tee·to·tal
[tee-toht-l, tee-toht-l] adjective, verb, tee·to·taled, tee·to·tal·ing or ( especially British ) tee·to·talled, tee·to·tal·ling. 
l, ˈtiˌtoʊt adjective
1.
of or pertaining to, advocating, or pledged to total abstinence from intoxicating drink.
2.
Informal. absolute; complete.
verb (used without object)
3.
to practice teetotalism.
Origin:
reduplicated variant of total, coined by R. Turner, of Preston, England, in 1833, in a speech advocating total abstinence from alcoholic drinks
reduplicated variant of total, coined by R. Turner, of Preston, England, in 1833, in a speech advocating total abstinence from alcoholic drinks
Related forms
tee·to·tal·ly, adverb
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.
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|
Link To teetotal
00:10
Teetotal
is one of our favorite verbs.
So is lollygag. Does it mean:
| to swindle, cheat, hoodwink, or hoax. |
| to spend time idly; loaf. |
Collins
World English Dictionary
teetotal (tiːˈtəʊtəl) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —adj | |
| 1. | of, relating to, or practising abstinence from alcoholic drink |
| 2. | dialect complete |
| [C19: allegedly coined in 1833 by Richard Turner, English advocate of total abstinence from alcoholic liquors; probably from | |
| tee'totaller | |
| —n | |
| tee'totally | |
| —adv | |
| tee'totalism | |
| —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
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
teetotal
"pledged to total abstinence from intoxicating drink," 1834, possibly formed from total with a reduplication of the initial T- for emphasis (T-totally "totally," not in an abstinence sense, is recorded in Kentucky dialect from 1832 and is possibly older in Irish-Eng.). The use in temperance jargon was
first noted Sept. 1833 in a speech advocating total abstinence (from beer as well as wine and liquor) by Richard "Dicky" Turner, a working-man from Preston, England. Also said to have been introduced in 1827 in a New York temperance society which recorded a T after the signature of those who had pledged total abstinence, but contemporary evidence for this is wanting, and Webster (1847) calls teetotaler "a cant word formed in England."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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