- addiction
- c.1600, of habits, pursuits, etc., from L. addictionem (nom. addictio) "an awarding, a devoting," noun of action from addicere (see addict). Earliest sense was less severe: "inclination, penchant," but this has become obsolete. In main modern sense it is first attested 1906, in ref. to opium (there is an isolated instance from 1779, with ref. to tobacco).