Liberal Dictionary English Dictionary
adjective
- fond of or addicted to drink.
- absorbent; spongy.
adjective
- addicted to alcohol
1670s, “spongy, absorbent,” from Latin bibulus “drinking readily, given to drink;” of things, “absorbent; moistened,” from bibere “to drink” (see imbibe). Meaning “fond of drink” attested in English by 1861.