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whisky - 6 dictionary results
whis⋅ky
[hwis-kee, wis-] 
noun, plural -kies, adjective | whiskey (used esp. for Scotch or Canadian whiskey). |
whis⋅key
[hwis-kee, wis-] noun, plural -keys, adjective –noun
| 1. | an alcoholic liquor distilled from a fermented mash of grain, as barley, rye, or corn, and usually containing from 43 to 50 percent alcohol. |
| 2. | a drink of whiskey. |
| 3. | a word used in communications to represent the letter W. |
–adjective
| 4. | made of, relating to, or resembling whiskey. |
Also, whisky.
Origin:
1705–15; short for whiskybae < Ir uisce beatha or ScotGael uisge beatha, ult. trans. of ML aqua vitae lit., water of life; cf. usquebaugh
1705–15; short for whiskybae < Ir uisce beatha or ScotGael uisge beatha, ult. trans. of ML aqua vitae lit., water of life; cf. usquebaugh
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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|
Link To whisky
| whis·key also whis·ky (hwĭs'kē, wĭs'-) n. pl. whis·keys also whis·kies
[Shortening and alteration of usquebaugh.] Word History: Many connoisseurs of fine whiskey wouldn't dream of contaminating their libations with water, but they really can't avoid it. Not only is water used in distilling whiskey, but the words whiskey and water share a common 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," and 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 is differently suffixed: *wod-ā. Whiskey, water, and vodka—etymology can mix a potent cocktail. |
| whis·ky (hwĭs'kē, wĭs'-) n. Variant of whiskey. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Whisky
Whisky\, or Whiskey Ring \Whiskey, Ring\ . (U. S. Hist.) A conspiracy of distillers and government officials during the administration of President Grant to defraud the government of the excise taxes. The frauds were detected in 1875 through the efforts of the Secretary of the Treasury. B. H. Bristow, and most of the offenders were convicted.Whisky
Whis"ky\, Whiskey \Whis"key\, n. [Ir. or Gael. uisge water (perhaps akin to E. wash, water) in uisgebeatha whiskey, properly, water of life. Cf. Usquebaugh.] An intoxicating liquor distilled from grain, potatoes, etc., especially in Scotland, Ireland, and the United States. In the United States, whisky is generally distilled from maize, rye, or wheat, but in Scotland and Ireland it is often made from malted barley. Bourbon whisky, corn whisky made in Bourbon County, Kentucky. Crooked whisky. See under Crooked. Whisky Jack (Zo["o]l.), the Canada jay (Perisoreus Canadensis). It is noted for its fearless and familiar habits when it frequents the camps of lumbermen in the winter season. Its color is dull grayish blue, lighter beneath. Called also moose bird.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : whisky
Spanish:
whisky,
German:
der Whisky,
Japanese:
ウイスキー
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