teetotaler
noun
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A person who abstains from alcohol might choose tea as his or her alternative beverage, but the word teetotaler has nothing to do with tea. More likely, the "tee" that begins the word teetotal is a reduplication of the letter "t" that begins total, emphasizing that one has pledged total abstinence. In the early 1800s, tee-total and tee-totally were used to intensify total and totally, much the way we now might say, "I'm tired with a capital T." "I am now … wholly, solely, and teetotally absorbed in Wayne's business," wrote the folklorist Parson Weems in an 1807 letter. Teetotal and teetotaler first appeared with their current meanings in 1834, eight years after the formation of the American Temperance Society.
Examples of teetotaler in a Sentence
Bethy Squires, Vulture, 20 Jan. 2025
While Jack Daniel is a name even teetotalers recognize, fewer people know that Green taught Daniel how to make whiskey and later became his first master distiller.
—Lisa Cericola, Southern Living, 15 Jan. 2025
Coffee drinkers and teetotalers alike have a place to go during late-night hours in Skokie– a shop offering coffee and drinks native to Yemen.
—Richard Requena, Chicago Tribune, 16 Jan. 2025
The president-elect is a teetotaler, and has advised his children throughout their lives to avoid alcohol.
—Jennifer Jacobs, CBS News, 10 Jan. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Teetotaler.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/teetotaler. Accessed 11 Feb. 2025.
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