A blend of alcohol + lock
Sumerian Sumerian form ‘kohl’
…
Aramaic כוחלא
Arabic كُحْل ‘kohl’
Medieval Latin alcohol
Middle English alcofol
English alcohol
Proto-Indo-European *lewg- ‘to bend’
Proto-Germanic *luką
Proto-West Germanic *lok ‘shutter’
Old English loc
Middle English lok
English lock
Today it means
noun A mechanism that prevents a car from starting if the driver has exceeded the legal limits of alcohol consumption.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / alcolock
Shirt and support for this word