sambuca

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noun

Also, sam·buke

[sam-byook] . an ancient stringed musical instrument used in Greece and the Near East.

a medieval hurdy-gurdy.

Origin:
1350–1400; Middle English sambuke < Latin sambūca < Greek sambȳ́kē perhaps < Semitic; compare Aramaic sabbəkhā

Dictionary.com Unabridged

noun

a licorice-flavored Italian liqueur made from elderberries.

Origin:
1970–75; < Italian, feminine derivative of sambuco elder < Latin sa(m)būcus

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Relevant Questions

00:10

Sambuca is always a great word to know.

So is callithumpian. Does it mean:

a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.

an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle.

Etymonline

Word Origin & History

sambuca

It. liqueur resembling anisette, 1971, from It., from L. sambucus "elder tree."

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sam·bu·ca