Etymograph

English

imbibe

Imbibe comes from Latin imbibō ‘to drink in, imbibe’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *peh₃-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*peh₃-‘to drink’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*pibō‘to drink’reconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEbibō‘to drink’
  4. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEimbibō‘to drink in, imbibe’
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500imbiben‘to absorb’
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1816imbibe

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*peh₃-‘to drink’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*pibō‘to drink’reconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEbibō‘to drink’
  4. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEimbibō‘to drink in, imbibe’
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500imbiben‘to absorb’
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1816imbibe

Earliest quotation: 1816, – 1817 April/May, The Modern Prometheus. […]: “Every minute,” continued M. Krempe with warmth, “every instant…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *peh₃- ‘to drink’

symposium, 20 more

through Latin bibō ‘to drink’

beverage, bib, 8 more

Today it means

verb To drink (used frequently of alcoholic beverages).

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *peh₃- / imbibe

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