酔う vs 酔っ払う: does it depend on how drunk you are?


酔{よ}う and 酔{よ}っ払{ぱら}う both seem to mean "to get drunk" but how are they
different from each other? Does it depend on how drunk you are, and assuming
酔っ払う is worse than 酔う, exactly how drunk would you need to be to cross from 酔う
to 酔っ払う? Does the 払う part has any meaning or purpose?




[Daijirin](http://dic.yahoo.co.jp/dsearch?enc=UTF-8&p=%E3%82%88%E3%81%A3%E3%81%B1%E3%82%89%E3%81%86&dtype=0&dname=0ss&stype=0)
defines 酔っ払う as ひどく酒に酔う. This clarifies two differences between 酔う and 酔っ払う:

  * As istrasci explained, 酔っ払う is used only when one is drunk because of liquor, while 酔う is broader.
  * With 酔っ払う, the degree of being drunk is high. With 酔う, it depends.




[Daijirin](http://dic.yahoo.co.jp/dsearch?enc=UTF-8&p=%E3%82%88%E3%81%A3%E3%81%B1%E3%82%89%E3%81%86&dtype=0&dname=0ss&stype=0)
defines 酔っ払う as ひどく酒に酔う. This clarifies two differences between 酔う and 酔っ払う:

  * As istrasci explained, 酔っ払う is used only when one is drunk because of liquor, while 酔う is broader.
  * With 酔っ払う, the degree of being drunk is high. With 酔う, it depends.

