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Origin and history of addict

addict(v.)

1530s (implied in addicted) "to devote or give up (oneself) to a habit or occupation," from Latin addictus, past participle of addicere "to deliver, award, yield; make over, sell," properly "give one's assent to," but figuratively "to devote, consecrate; sacrifice, sell out, betray, abandon." This is from ad "to" (see ad-) + dicere, which was usually "to say, declare" (from PIE root *deik- "to show," also "pronounce solemnly"), but also could be "adjudge, allot."

"It is a yielding to impulse, and generally a bad one" [Century Dictionary]. Old English glossed Latin addictus literally with forscrifen. Related: Addicted; addicting.

also from 1530s

addict(n.)

"one given over to some practice," 1909, first in reference to morphine, from addict (v.).

also from 1909

Entries linking to addict

addicted(adj.)

1530s, "delivered over" by judicial sentence (as a debtor to his creditors, a sense from Roman law); past-participle adjective from addict (v.). The sense of "dependent" (1560s) is reflexive, "self-addicted," from the notion of "give over or award (oneself) to someone or some practice;" specialization to narcotics dependency is from c. 1910. An earlier English adjective was simply addict "delivered, devoted" (1520s).

addiction(n.)

c. 1600, "tendency, inclination, penchant" (a less severe sense now obsolete); 1640s as "state of being (self)-addicted" to a habit, pursuit, etc., from Latin addictionem (nominative addictio) "an awarding, a delivering up," noun of action from past-participle stem of addicere "to deliver, award; devote, consecrate, sacrifice" (see addict (v.)).

The sense of "compulsion and need to take a drug as a result of prior use of it" is by 1906, in reference to opium (there is an isolated instance from 1779 with reference to tobacco).

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