KJV Word of the Day: Winebibber

I took the KJV word of the day from Matt 11.19: “The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom is justified of her children. ” (Matthew 11:19, KJV 1900)

It's a pretty easy word to understand, and a fairly descriptive one at that. Here's what the KJV Bible Word Book says about it:

WINEBIBBER. From the Latin verb bibere, to drink, are derived the English verb “bib,” to drink or tipple, and the nouns “bibation” and “bibber.” “Winebibber” occurs three times in KJ. It is retained by RSV in Proverbs 23:20–21:

“Be not among winebibbers,

or among gluttonous eaters of meat;

for the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty,

and drowsiness will clothe a man with rags.”

Here “winebibbers” represents a Hebrew phrase which means “drinkers of wine,” and “drunkard” stands for the Hebrew word which appears also in Deuteronomy 21:20.

“Winebibber” is not retained by RSV in the comment which Jesus quoted concerning himself: “Behold, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners” (Matthew 11:19 = Luke 7:34).