whiskey - Wiktionary, the free dictionary (original) (raw)

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

whiskey

  1. Alternative letter-case form of Whiskey of the ICAO/NATO radiotelephony alphabet.

Irish whiskey is usually served in a lowball glass.

Oak bourbon barrels at distilleries are used to store whiskey.

Proto-Indo-European *wed-

Proto-Indo-European *-wós

English whiskey

Variant of usque, abbreviation of usquebaugh, from Irish uisce beatha, calque of Medieval Latin aqua vītae (“water of life”). Compare akvavit, aquavit, aqua vitae, eau de vie, and water of life from the same source and vodka from a Russian diminutive for water in reference to the dilution of pure grain spirits.

whiskey (countable and uncountable, plural whiskeys or whiskies)

  1. (Ireland, US, England) A liquor distilled from the fermented mash of grain (as rye, corn, or barley).
    Synonyms: (chiefly Ireland, Scotland, dated or archaic) usquebaugh, (dated) scamper juice
    • 1753 September, “Historical Chronicle”, in The Gentleman's Magazine, volume XXIII, number VIII, London, page 391:
      The exceſſive drinking of ſpirituous liquours, eſpecially whiſkey, is now become ſo common, that more people are killed by them, than by ſmall-pox, fevers, broken limbs, accidents, and all other diſtempers put together. And we are credibly informed, that in one dram ſhop only in this town, there are 120 gallons of that accurſed ſpirit, whiſkey, ſold.
  2. (Ireland, US, England) A drink of whiskey.
  3. (international standards) Alternative letter-case form of Whiskey from the NATO/ICAO Phonetic Alphabet.

alcoholic drink

From whisk + ey.

whiskey (plural whiskeys)

  1. (historical) A light gig or carriage drawn by one horse.
    Synonym: tim-whiskey
    • 1772, George Alexander Stevens, “The Portrait”, in Songs, Comic, and Satyrical‎[1], Oxford, page 202:
      Ye Ladies of Lapland who beesoms bestride,
      Or, pair’d in Witch Whiskeys, aslant the Moon slide;

Borrowed from English whiskey.

whiskey m (plural whiskeys, diminutive whiskeytje n)

  1. (a glass of) whiskey

Borrowed from English whisky, whiskey, from Irish uisce beatha, Scottish Gaelic uisge-beatha (literally “water of life”).

whiskey m (plural whiskeys)

  1. whiskey (drink)

whiskey m (plural whiskeys)

  1. alternative form of uísque

Unadapted borrowing from English whiskey.

whiskey m (plural whiskeys or whiskies)

  1. alternative spelling of whisky

According to Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) prescriptions, unadapted foreign words should be written in italics in a text printed in roman type, and vice versa, and in quotation marks in a manuscript text or when italics are not available. In practice, this RAE prescription is not always followed.