whiskey

Meaning

1. (England, Ireland, US, countable, uncountable) A liquor distilled from the fermented mash of grain (as rye, corn, or barley).
2. (England, Ireland, US, countable, uncountable) A drink of whiskey.
3. (alt-of, countable, uncountable) Alternative letter-case form of Whiskey from the NATO/ICAO Phonetic Alphabet.

Synonyms

whisky

liquor

bourbon

whisky

brandy

rum

Scotch

moonshine

vodka

water

🚰

usque

blue grass

skee

skee horns

Irish

🇮🇪

thribble a

booze

drink

🥤

highball

liquid

mountain dew

pick-me-up

rotgut

Translations

whisky

whisky

whisky

Whisky

whisky

whisky

uísque

viski

ουίσκυ

whiskey

ουίσκι

ويسكي

vischium

whisky

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈwɪski/

Etymology

Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *wed-
Proto-Indo-European *-r̥
Proto-Indo-European *wódr̥der.
Proto-Celtic *udenskyos
Old Irish uisce
Irish uisce
Proto-Indo-European *gʷeyh₃-
Proto-Indo-European *-wós
Proto-Indo-European *gʷih₃wós
Proto-Celtic *biwos
Proto-Celtic *-tūts
Proto-Celtic *biwotūts
Old Irish bethu
Irish beatha
Medieval Latin aqua vītae
Irish uisce beathabor.
Old Irish uisce
Scottish Gaelic uisge
Old Irish bethu
Scottish Gaelic beatha
Medieval Latin aqua vītae
Scottish Gaelic uisge-beathabor.
English usquebaugh
English usque
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.