Possibly coined from a stutter — Richard Turner's emphatic 'T-T-Total abstinence' in an 1833 temperance speech.
Choosing or characterized by total abstinence from alcoholic drink.
Coined by Richard Turner, a temperance advocate from Preston, England, who stammered 'T-T-Total abstinence' in a speech. The stuttered emphasis on 'total' was turned into 'teetotal.' Alternatively, it may use 'T' as an intensifying prefix (T-total = emphatically total). Key roots: total (English: "complete, entire").