What is the Etymology of the Word “Hangover”?
Hangover (n.) The resounding feeling of death one feels upon awakening after a heavy night
Hangover (n.) The feeling one gets from drinking far too much. It is often associated with feelings of regret, short-term amnesia, lack of appetite, needing to vomit. Hangovers will typically leave you feeling like sh*t for approximately 24 hours (age dependant).
Oh, you know full well what a hangover is. I don’t need to explain this feeling to you. You could describe in detail the events that led you to your worst hangover. Or even tell the story of your first ever hangover?
I know mine was monumental; I had awoken covered in my own sick after drinking almost 1l of straight vodka. In my mind getting drunk was “blacking out” I had succeeded in blacking out.
This pathed the way for my lifelong drinking habits. The only thing I learned from that experience is how terrible hangovers are. I no longer needed a description to understand how horrible they are.
But where did the word come from? What is the etymological origin of the word “hangover”?
Around three thousand years ago, an old Indian textbook on Vedic medicine first described the alcohol hangover state. This “hungover” state was called…
