While the word is relatively rare in modern English—appearing in fewer than 0.01 occurrences per million words—it carries several distinct meanings across culinary, chemical, and social contexts:
: In chemistry, it describes the process of converting a substance into an alcohol or increasing its concentration through rectification. alcoholize
To (also spelled alcoholise ) is a transitive verb that primarily means to treat, saturate, or infuse something with alcohol. While the word is relatively rare in modern
: In cooking or medicine, it refers to soaking a substance in spirits (e.g., "alcoholize the fruit before serving"). : Historically, it also meant to reduce a
: Historically, it also meant to reduce a substance to a fine powder. Practical Usage Wine, With or Without Alcohol? - Wine Spectator
: It can be used to describe the state of being under the influence of alcoholic beverages (e.g., "they were thoroughly alcoholized after dinner").