alcohol
/ˈælkəhɒl/·알코올·noun
a chemical compound; drink containing it
ArabicCEFR A2
Root
Arabic 'al-kuḥl' (the kohl, fine powder)
Arabic al-kuḥl (kohl powder) → Medieval Latin alcohol (any fine powder, later distilled essence) → English alcohol (16th c.)
In a word
Arabic al-kuḥl = 'the kohl' (fine eye-paint powder). Medieval alchemists called any highly refined substance "alcohol" — powder or liquid alike. By the 16th–17th centuries the meaning narrowed to "distilled essence" — the essence of wine, our modern alcohol. That "al-" is the Arabic definite article — the same "al-" hides in algebra, algorithm, alkali.
Examples
This drink contains no alcohol.
Alcohol affects judgment.
Rubbing alcohol cleans wounds.
Related
alkalialgebraalgorithm