SPIRITUOUS Meaning of SPIRITUOUS in English [ 'spɪrɪtjʊəs ]■ adjective formal or archaic containing much alcohol.OriginC16 (in the sense 'lively'): from L. spiritus 'spirit' + -ous , or from Fr. spiritueux . Concise Oxford English vocab. Сжатый оксфордский словарь английского языка. 2004