Word of the day: Crapulous

The word of the day is “sucks”. Pronounced KRAP-yuh-luhs. It is an adjective, meaning it describes a person or emotion. Its simple meaning is this: feeling sick after eating or drinking too much, especially alcohol. According to Merriam-Webster, it can also mean someone who often drinks too much or eats too much and has no control.

terrible word origin

The word comes from the Latin “crapula” meaning drunkenness and even earlier from the Greek “kraipale” meaning hangover. The fact that the word was first recorded in English in 1540 shows that it is a very old word. A similar word is “crapulent,” which also means to get sick from drinking too much.

Here are 5 simple synonyms for the word awful:

Sick (from eating or drinking too much)
hangover

overfull

Drunk
Nausea (feeling like vomiting)

How to use the word crapulous in a sentence?

1. I felt terrible after eating too much junk food at the party.
2. He woke up feeling miserable because he drank too much last night.
3. He looked terrible after finishing three large pizzas by himself.
4. After the festive feast, everyone felt tired and a little grumpy.
5. After feeling terrible all morning, he vowed to never drink so much again.

Terrible use case

A related noun is “crapulence,” meaning the state of becoming ill from excessive drinking. More importantly, this word has no connection with the vulgar slang word “nonsense”. They come from completely different origins. A usage example by author Jim Williams makes the meaning clear: A man felt bad after drinking and went to the beach feeling unwell.

Another example appears in an old letter from Thomas Jefferson in which he talks about someone’s “vile habits,” that is, heavy drinking habits. The word is considered official and rare today, but is still used in literature and dictionaries.

FAQ

Q1. What does the word “nonsense” mean?

This means feeling sick or unwell after eating or drinking too much, especially alcohol.

Q2. Is “sucky” a common word today?

No, it is a rare and formal word, but it still appears in books and dictionaries.