whisky

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Related to whisky: bourbon, whisky sour, vodka

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.

whisky

(ˈwɪskɪ)

n, pl -kies

(Brewing) a spirit made by distilling fermented cereals, which is matured and often blended

[C18: shortened from whiskybae, from Scottish Gaelic uisge beatha, literally: water of life; see usquebaugh]

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]

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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Noun

whisky - a liquor made from fermented mash of grain

whiskey

booze, 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

corn whiskey, corn whisky, corn - whiskey distilled from a mash of not less than 80 percent corn

Irish whiskey, Irish whisky, Irish - whiskey made in Ireland chiefly from barley

rye whiskey, rye whisky, rye - whiskey distilled from rye or rye and malt

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

whisky

noun Scotch, malt, rye, bourbon, firewater, John Barleycorn, usquebaugh (Gaelic), barley-bree (Scot.) a glass of whisky

Quotations
"Freedom and Whisky gang thegither!" [Robert Burns The Author's Earnest Cry and Prayer]
"a torchlight procession marching down your throat" [John L. O'Sullivan (of whisky)]

Whiskies

blend, blended whisky, bourbon, corn whisky, grain whisky, hokonui (N.Z.), Irish whiskey, malt or malt whisky, poteen or poitín, redeye (U.S. slang), rye, Scotch, shebeen or shebean (Irish), single malt, sour mash, vatted malt

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

Translations

وِسْكيويسْكي

уиски

whisky

viskio

viski

viski

whisky

viskí

whisky

ウイスキー

위스키

viskis

viskijs

whisky

uísque whisky

виски

whisky

วิสกี้

viski

віскігорілка

rượu whisky

威士忌威士忌酒

whisky

whiskey (US, Irl) [ˈwɪskɪ] N → whisky m
whisky and soda → whisky m con sifón, whisky m con soda

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

whisky

[ˈ^hwɪski] n → whisky m

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

whisky

, (US, Ir) whiskey

n → Whisky m; whisky and soda → Whisky (mit) Soda m; two whiskies, please → zwei Whisky, bitte

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

whisky

whiskey (Am) [ˈwɪskɪ] n → whisky m inv
a whisky and soda → un whisky e soda

whisky

(ˈwiski) (Irish and American) whiskey noun

a type of alcoholic drink made from grain.

whisky

→ 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

A whisky and soda → Whisky se sodou → en whisky med danskvand → Einen Whisky mit Soda → ένα ουίσκι με σόδα → un whisky con soda → Viski ja sooda → Viski i sodu → Un whisky e soda → ウイスキーのソーダ割り → 위스키 앤 소다요 → een whisky-soda → en whisky og soda → Whisky z wodą → um uísque com soda → Виски с содовой → en whisky med sodavatten → bir viski soda → Một whisky và soda → 威士忌和苏打水
I'll have a whisky → Dám si whisky → En whisky → Ich nehme einen Whisky → Θα πάρω ένα ουίσκι → Tomaré un whisky → Otan viskin → Je vais prendre un whisky → Ja ću viski → Prendo un whisky → ウイスキーをください → 위스키 주세요 → Ik wil graag een whisky → Jeg tar en whisky → Wezmę whisky → Eu quero um uísque → Я буду виски → Jag tar en whisky → Ben viski alayım → Tôi sẽ uống whisky → 我要一杯威士忌

References in classic literature ?

"Yes; I have my coffee early," he answered, "but I don't mind having a drop of whisky."

I do not consider that the cigars and whisky he consumed at my expense (he always refused cocktails, since he was practically a teetotaller), and the few dollars, borrowed with a civil air of conferring a favour upon me, that passed from my pocket to his, were in any way equivalent to the entertainment he afforded me.

View in context

Hadley, who chaperoned them; "Whisky" Bob, a youthful oyster pirate of sixteen; and "Spider" Healey, a black-whiskered wharf-rat of twenty.

Nor did I catch the significance of his abrupt change of plan when he turned the task of rowing his skiff over to Whisky Bob, himself remaining on board the sloop.

View in context

She's sworn three men off their drink, or, to the same purpose, shut off their whisky. You know them--Brahms, Curtis, and Fowler.

Welshmere nodded in reply to Sheldon's look of inquiry, and Viaburi was dispatched for the whisky and siphons.

'Captain Oleson,' she says, sweet as you please, 'I've a few minutes to spare on you, and I've got some good whisky over on the Emily.

'That'll do nicely,' I remember her saying; and with that she took the whisky bottles and hove them overside through the companionway.

View in context

Whilst looking around the hotel bar and perusing the whisky selection I couldn't help thinking about the relationship between whisky and the hotel industry.

Hotel bar drams - whisky, luxury and anonymity

Martine Nouet, the Islay-based author of A Table, Whisky from Glass to Plate, is an expert on both pairing with food and using whisky as an ingredient.

Expert advice on how to pair whisky with food

Scotch whisky is the most tightly defined spirit in the world.

THE EXPERT Charles MacLean, whisky historian and author

The export of scotch whisky generates a healthy PS125 a second for the Scottish government.

FACT OF THE WEEK: It is time to raise a glass and learn more about the water of life

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