- Today's Word
Zozzled
[ZOZ-uhld]
Definition
- (adjective) An informal term meaning to be drunk or intoxicated. It can also describe someone who is in a dazed or confused state, as if under the influence of alcohol.
Example
After a long night of partying, the college students stumbled back to their dorms, completely zozzled and ready to sleep off the evening’s excesses.
Fun Fact
The exact origin of “zozzled” is unknown, but it is believed to have emerged in American slang during the early 20th century. The term might be related to the older slang word “sozzled,” which also means to be drunk or intoxicated. One theory suggests that “zozzled” could be a playful variation of “sozzled,” with the initial “z” sound adding a humorous or whimsical touch to the term. Another possibility is that “zozzled” might be a blend of “sozzled” and the word “zonked,” which means to be exhausted or in a dazed state.
(noun) A person who takes excessive pleasure in eating and drinking, often to the point of overindulgence.
The restaurant critic was a gourmand in the truest sense — not merely knowledgeable about food but physically incapable of leaving anything on the plate.
Gourmand comes from the Old French gourmant, meaning “glutton” or “one who eats greedily,” of uncertain further origin. It entered English in the 15th century carrying its French sense of someone defined by appetite rather than discernment. The word is frequently confused with gourmet — a person of refined culinary taste — but the distinction is meaningful: a gourmet selects carefully and savors deliberately, while a gourmand simply wants more. One is defined by quality, the other by quantity.