The word alcohol is of Arabic origin. It comes from the term اَلْكُحْل ‎(al-kuḥl).

The Arabs used kohl as an eyeliner and it is mentioned in various hadiths. This eyeliner would be the same one that the ancient Egyptians are famous for and it was used throughout Africa and West Asia as well as in parts of Central and South Asia.

“The best of your kohl is ithmid (antimony), for it makes the vision clear and makes the hair grow.” - Sunan An-Nasa’i (5113)

'Alcohol' in this context would have been in powdered form and made of antimony, however, the Arabs also learned to make distilled alcohol from the Greeks. Arab alchemists used the word kohl to refer to 'purified' alcoholic beverages. In the 17th century the word alcohol in the English language came to be used to refer to all purified spirits, later in the 18th century it came to mean 'intoxicating elements'.

1. The Origins of Chemistry, Robert P. Multhauf

2. Short History of the Art of Distillation, R.J. Forbes

3. Etymology Online: Alcohol

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