inebriate

The word "inebriate" most often means to make someone drunk or intoxicated, especially by giving them alcohol. It is a formal, somewhat literary word, and it usually sounds more at home in novels, historical writing, or careful description than in casual conversation. In ordinary speech, people are much more likely to say "make drunk," "get drunk," or "intoxicate."

The verb puts the focus on the act of causing drunkenness. If a story says that a guest was inebriated by strong wine, the point is not just that the guest ended up drunk, but that the wine, or the person serving it, brought that about. Because of this, the word often appears in writing that wants a slightly distant, descriptive tone.

There is also an older or poetic extension of the word. In that use, something can inebriate a person by filling them with excitement, delight, or a dizzy kind of pleasure. A writer might say that music, success, or spring air inebriated the heart or mind. That sense does exist, but it is far less common now than the alcohol-related one.

The word can also be a noun: "an inebriate" means a drunken person or, more often in older writing, someone who drinks too much as a habit. You might find references to "inebriates" in social history, medical writing from the past, or accounts of tavern life. That noun form now feels dated and can sound harsh.

So the core idea is straightforward: this word is mainly about making someone drunk, with a secondary poetic sense of making someone feel carried away or overcome. It is a useful word to recognize, especially in literature, even if it is not one most people use every day.