'addict' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'addictus,' where 'ad-' meant 'toward' and 'dicere' meant 'to say or declare.'

'addictus' transformed into the Old French word 'addicter,' and eventually became the modern English word 'addict' through Middle English.

Initially, it meant 'to devote or give oneself to something,' but over time it evolved into its current meaning of 'to become dependent on a substance or activity.'