alcoholische

Alcoholische is the inflected form of the Dutch adjective alcoholisch, meaning containing alcohol or relating to alcohol. The base form is alcoholisch; alcoholische is used when the adjective accompanies a noun in certain grammatical contexts, particularly after a definite article and in the plural, as in de alcoholische dranken (the alcoholic beverages) or de alcoholische oplossingen (the alcoholic solutions). In other contexts the adjective may appear in the predicate or with the indefinite article, using the base form alcoholisch.

In everyday language, the term designates substances that contain ethanol, most commonly alcoholic beverages such as beer, wine, and spirits, but also ethanol-based solvents and extracts described as alcoholische oplossingen or alcoholische extracties. The term is often contrasted with niet-alcoholisch (non-alcoholic) in classifications of drinks, medicines, and foods.

Etymology: alcoholische derives from alcohol, the international term for the substance, borrowed from Latin alcohol and ultimately from Arabic al-kuḥl. The suffix -isch is a common part of Dutch adjectives. The inflected form alcoholische is used to agree with the gender and number of the noun it modifies in standard Dutch.

See also: alcohol, alcoholische dranken, niet-alcoholisch.