carouse

English

Etymology

From Middle French carousser (“to quaff, drink, swill”), from German gar aus (literally “quite out”), from gar austrinken (“to drink up entirely, guzzle”). Compare German Garaus.

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /kəˈɹaʊz/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aʊz

Verb

carouse (third-person singular simple present carouses, present participle carousing, simple past and past participle caroused)

1. (intransitive) To engage in a noisy or drunken social gathering. [from 1550s]

   We are all going to carouse at Brian's tonight.

2. (intransitive) To drink to excess.

   If I survive this headache, I promise no more carousing at Brian's.

Derived terms

• carousal
• carrousel

Translations

To engage in a noisy or drunken social gathering

• Bulgarian: гуляя (bg) (guljaja), пирувам (bg) (piruvam)
• Czech: hýřit (cs) impf, pařit (cs) impf
• Danish: please add this translation if you can
• Finnish: rellestää (fi)
• German: Gelage abhalten, eine Gasterei veranstalten (archaic), sinnlos besaufen (reflexive)
• Greek:

  Ancient: κωμάζω (kōmázō)

• Italian: gozzovigliare (it)
• Latin: cōmīssor, bacchor
• Polish: hulać (pl), balować (pl) impf, birbantować (pl) impf (dated)
• Russian: кути́ть (ru) impf (kutítʹ), пирова́ть (ru) impf (pirovátʹ), туси́ть (ru) impf (tusítʹ)
• Swedish: rumla (sv)

To drink to excess

• Bulgarian: пиянствувам (bg) (pijanstvuvam)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 暢飲／畅饮 (zh) (chàngyǐn)

• Czech: chlastat (cs) impf
• Danish: please add this translation if you can
• Finnish: juopotella (fi), ryypätä (fi), kännätä (fi)
• German: zechen (de), saufen (de), bechern (de)
• Italian: ubriacarsi (it), sbronzarsi
• Russian: пья́нствовать (ru) impf (pʹjánstvovatʹ), напива́ться (ru) impf (napivátʹsja), напи́ться (ru) (napítʹsja) (до пьяна), еба́шить (ru) impf (jebášitʹ) (vulgar), хуя́рить (ru) impf (xujáritʹ) (vulgar)

Noun

carouse (plural carouses)

1. A large draught of liquor.
   • 1600, William Kempe, Kemps nine daies vvonder, pages 4–5:

     […] therefore forward I went with my hey-de-gaies to Ilford, where I againe reſted, and was by the people of the towne and countrey there-about very very wel welcomed, being offred carowſes in the great ſpoon, one whole draught being able at that time to haue drawne my little wit drye; […]

   • c. 1606–1607, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Anthonie and Cleopatra”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene viii]:

     Had our great Pallace the capacity
     To Campe this hoaſt, we all would ſup together,
     And drinke Carowſes to the next dayes Fate […]

   • 1612, John Davies, Discoverie of the True Causes why Ireland was never entirely subdued:

     […] he hadde ſo many eyes watching ouer him, as he coulde not drinke a full Carouſe of Sacke, but the State was aduertised thereof, within few houres after.

2. A drinking bout; a carousal.
   • 1725, Homer, “Book II”, in [William Broome], transl., The Odyssey of Homer. […], volume I, London: […] Bernard Lintot, →OCLC:

     The early feast and late carouse.

   • 1835, Richard Gooch, Oxford and Cambridge Nuts to Crack, page 25:

     PORSON […] would not only frequently “steal a few hours from the night,” but see out both lights and liquids, and seem none the worse for the carouse.

Anagrams

• acerous