teetotal

views updated May 09 2018

tee·to·tal / ˈtēˌtōtl/ • adj. choosing or characterized by abstinence from alcohol: a teetotal lifestyle.DERIVATIVES: tee·to·tal·ism / -ˌizəm/ n.

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English

teetotal

views updated May 17 2018

teetotal pert. to total abstinence. XIX. Said to have been first used by one Richard Turner, of Preston, Lancashire, about September 1833, in a speech advocating total abstinence from intoxicating liquors, in preference to abstinence from ardent spirits only. Perh. based on tee-totally wholly, entirely (XIX; U.S.), a strengthened form of totally (quasi T-totally).

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology T. F. HOAD

teetotal

views updated May 21 2018

teetotal Total abstinence from alcohol, advocated by Richard Turner in a speech in Preston (Lancs) in 1833; he stammered over the word ‘total’.

A Dictionary of Food and Nutrition DAVID A. BENDER

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