root beer

Meaning

1. (countable, uncountable) A beverage, most often a carbonated soft drink made from a combination of vanilla, cherry tree bark, licorice root, sarsaparilla root, sassafras root bark, nutmeg, anise, and molasses, among other things.
2. (countable, uncountable) A dark reddish-brown color, like the drink.

Synonyms

ginger ale

ginger beer

anise

aniseed

Translations

racinette

anís

Rootbier

cervesa d'arrels

Anis

Anissamen

cervesa sense alcohol

anis

graine d’anis

sabor arrel

root beer

anice

anacio

anísum

ينسون

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈɹuːt ˌbɪə/

Etymology

The term is attested since before the lifetime of Charles Elmer Hires, but he is widely credited with popularizing it much further than it had previously been; his proprietary beverage was inspired by an earlier root tea, and he planned to sell it under that name, but he changed its name to broaden the sales appeal. For more, see Wikipedia at root beer § History.