noun
lush
A person who habitually drinks too much alcohol.
He calls his roommate a lush for drinking heavily every night.
Etymology
The older drink-slang noun was transferred to a habitual drinker. Its deeper origin is uncertain; luxurious growth does not explain it.
More examples
- She resents being called a lush just because she orders wine.
- The novel's charming hero is also a hopeless lush.
- They dismiss the regulars as lushes instead of offering them help.
Forms
lush · lushes
Similar words
- drunkard
- Also labels a habitual heavy drinker, but sounds more old-fashioned.
- alcoholic
- Refers to alcohol dependence rather than merely a heavy-drinking habit.