whiskey
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Related to whiskies: Scotch whiskies, malt whiskies
whis·key
also whis·ky (wĭs′kē, hwĭs′-)n. pl. whis·keys also whis·kies
1. An alcoholic liquor distilled from grain, such as corn, rye, or barley, and containing approximately 40 to 50 percent ethyl alcohol by volume.
2. A drink of such liquor.
[Shortening and alteration of usquebaugh.]
Word History: The words water, whiskey, and vodka flow from a common source, the Indo-European root *wed-, "water, wet." This root could appear in several guises, as *wed-, *wod-, or *ud-. Water is a native English word that goes back by way of prehistoric Common Germanic *watar to the Indo-European suffixed form *wod-ōr, with an o. Whiskey is a shortened form of usquebaugh, which English borrowed from Irish Gaelic uisce beatha and Scottish Gaelic uisge beatha. This compound descends from Old Irish uisce, "water," and bethad, "of life," meaning literally "water of life." (It thus meant the same thing as the name of another drink, aquavit, which comes from Latin aqua vītae, "water of life.") Uisce comes from the Indo-European suffixed form *ud-skio-. Finally, the name of another alcoholic drink, vodka, comes into English from Russian, where it means literally "little water," as it is a diminutive of voda, "water"—a euphemism if ever there was one. Voda comes from the same Indo-European form as English water, but has a different suffix: *wod-ā.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
whiskey
(ˈwɪskɪ)n
(Brewing) the usual Irish and US spelling of whisky
Whiskey
(ˈwɪskɪ)n
(Telecommunications) communications a code word for the letter w
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
whis•key
or whis•ky
(ˈʰwɪs ki, ˈwɪs-)n., pl. -keys or -kies.
1. an alcoholic liquor distilled from a fermented mash of grain, as barley, rye, or corn.
2. a drink of whiskey.
[1705–15; short for whiskybae < Irish uisce beatha or Scottish Gaelic uisge beatha, ultimately translation of Medieval Latin aqua vitae literally, water of life; compare usquebaugh]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
whiskey
- ardent spirits - Strong alcoholic liquors made by distillation, as brandy, whiskey, or gin.
- bourbon - Named for Bourbon County, Kentucky, an American whiskey made from at least 51 percent corn, plus other grains (all bourbons are whiskey, but not all whiskeys are bourbon); whiskey is an alcoholic liquor distilled from grain, such as corn, rye, or barley, and contains approximately 40 to 50 percent ethyl alcohol by volume.
- scat - Slang for whiskey.
- brand name - The term originated with whiskey, as the producers branded their names on the barrels.
Farlex Trivia Dictionary. © 2012 Farlex, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
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| Noun | 1. |  whiskey - a liquor made from fermented mash of grainbooze, hard drink, hard liquor, John Barleycorn, liquor, spirits, strong drink - an alcoholic beverage that is distilled rather than fermented blended whiskey, blended whisky - mixture of two or more whiskeys or of a whiskey and neutral spirits bourbon - whiskey distilled from a mash of corn and malt and rye and aged in charred oak barrels Scotch malt whiskey, Scotch malt whisky, Scotch whiskey, Scotch whisky, malt whiskey, malt whisky, Scotch - whiskey distilled in Scotland; especially whiskey made from malted barley in a pot still sour mash whiskey, sour mash - any whiskey distilled from sour mash manhattan - a cocktail made with whiskey and sweet vermouth with a dash of bitters old fashioned - a cocktail made of whiskey and bitters and sugar with fruit slices whiskey sour, whisky sour - a sour made with whiskey |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
Translations
whisky
whisky
viskiWashington
viskiTuplaville
viski
whisky
ウィスキーウイスキー
위스키
whisky
whisky
wiski
วิสกี้
віскігорілка
rượu whisky
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
whiskey
→ وِسْكي whisky whisky Whisky ουίσκι whisky viski whisky viski whisky ウイスキー 위스키 whisky whisky whisky uísque виски whisky วิสกี้ viski rượu whisky 威士忌Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009