# Orgin of the word Booze?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orgin-of-the-word-booze/345836>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [February 23, 2006, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orgin-of-the-word-booze/345836 "2006-02-23T19:53:01Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![RetroVertigo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b38774/32.png) [@RetroVertigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RetroVertigo)\
**Post date:** [February 23, 2006, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orgin-of-the-word-booze/345836/1 "2006-02-23T19:53:01Z")

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When and where did the word **Booze** become popular? Has it always been a term for alcohol?

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**Author:** ![gschmit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7bcc69/32.png) [@gschmit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gschmit)\
**Post date:** [February 23, 2006, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orgin-of-the-word-booze/345836/2 "2006-02-23T19:56:44Z")

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— ORIGIN from Dutch busen ‘drink to excess’

> **[Oxford Languages | The Home of Language Data](https://languages.oup.com)**
>
> Explore Oxford Languages, the home of world-renowned language data.

😃

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**Author:** ![gschmit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7bcc69/32.png) [@gschmit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gschmit)\
**Post date:** [February 23, 2006, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orgin-of-the-word-booze/345836/3 "2006-02-23T19:59:03Z")

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Sorry! I misread your question but atleast my answer must have some bearing.

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**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\
**Post date:** [February 23, 2006, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orgin-of-the-word-booze/345836/4 "2006-02-23T20:03:47Z")

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Etymology: Middle English _bousen_, from Middle Dutch _busen_.

The verb _booze_ (to drink deeply or for the sake of enjoyment) has been used in English since the early 1600s, and back to the 1300s under the spelling _bouse_. The noun _booze_ (alcoholic beverages) first appears in the U.S., in the mid-1800s.

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**Author:** ![Frosted\_Glass](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frosted_glass/32/3926_2.png) [@Frosted\_Glass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frosted_Glass)\
**Post date:** [February 23, 2006, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orgin-of-the-word-booze/345836/5 "2006-02-23T20:09:17Z")

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Apparently we have been using the word for quite some time. It has appeared in literature, in an early form, as early as [1590](http://www.wordorigins.org/wordorb.htm#booze) .

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**Author:** ![racer72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/racer72/32/3075_2.png) [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)\
**Post date:** [February 24, 2006, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orgin-of-the-word-booze/345836/6 "2006-02-24T00:33:34Z")

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My step father’s last name was Boozer. He was also one of those that lived up to his name. Died at 48 from liver disease.