eggnog

Meaning

A beverage based on milk, eggs, sugar, and nutmeg; often made alcoholic with rum, brandy, or whisky; popular at Christmas.

Synonyms

flip

Translations

lait de poule

Eierlikör

Eierkognak

liqueur aux œufs

advokaat

eggnog

licor de huevos

specie di zabaione

vov

Eierflip

ponche de huevo

zabaione

zabaglione

ponx d’ou

rompope

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˌɛɡˈnɒɡ/

Etymology

American English c. 1775 (although drinks like it are attested far earlier, e.g. posset, of which a monastic Christmas recipe used eggs), from egg + nog.
The second element is uncertain and long-debated; prominent claims include Norfolk dialect nog (“strong ale”), or a clipping of noggin (“small, carved wooden mug used to serve alcohol”) (q.v.). Other hypotheses include a variant of grog (“rum-and-water cocktail”), and descent from Old Norse (compare wassail).