arak

Etymology 1

From Arabic عَرَق (ʕaraq, “sweat”), a reference to the condensate in the distillation process. Doublet of ara, raki, and rakija.

noun

1. A clear, unsweetened aniseed-flavoured alcoholic drink, produced and consumed primarily in the Levant.
   A rite of the grape harvest in the Christian villages dotting the Lebanon mountain range[…] is the perfectly legal distillation of homemade arak. This smooth, cool, refreshing liquor, tasting of licorice with a soupçon of peppermint, remains the staple drink at Sunday lunch, an eat-till-you-drop extravaganza of small meze dishes. 2005-01-25, “The return of arak”, in The New York Times, →ISSN
   In Lebanon they have arak, in Turkey raki, and they even make something similar in Saudi Arabia. This is not so surprising as the Arabs were probably the first people to distil alcohol; alcohol is an Arabic word. “Arak” means “sweat” in Arabic, and describes the distillation process rather than what happens when you drink too much. 2015-02-06, Henry Jeffreys, “How to enjoy ouzo, even when you’re not on holiday”, in The Guardian, →ISSN
2. Alternative spelling of arrack (an alcoholic drink distilled from coconut palm flowers or sugar cane)

Etymology 2

From Arabic أَرَاك (ʔarāk).

noun

1. A toothbrush tree (Salvadora persica).
   They use perfume freely, paint their eyes with kohl, and are constantly polishing their teeth with twigs of green arak-wood. 1958-1994, Hamilton Gibb & CF Beckingham, in The Travels of Ibn Battutah, Folio Society 2012, p. 51