whiskey

Etymology

Borrowed from Irish uisce beatha, Scottish Gaelic uisge-beatha (literally “water of life”), from Proto-Celtic *udenskyos (“water”) + *biwotos (“life”), from *biwos (“alive”), calque of Latin aqua vitae.

noun

  1. (Ireland, US) A liquor distilled from the fermented mash of grain (as rye, corn, or barley).
    The exceſſive drinking of ſpirituous liquours, eſpecially whiſkey, is now become ſo common, that more people are killed by them, than by ſmall-pox, fevers, broken limbs, accidents, and all other diſtempers put together. And we are credibly informed, that in one dram ſhop only in this town, there are 120 gallons of that accurſed ſpirit, whiſkey, ſold. 1753, “Historical Chronicle”, in The Gentleman's Magazine, volume XXIII, page 391
  2. (Ireland, US) A drink of whiskey.
  3. (historical) A light gig or carriage; a tim-whiskey.
  4. (international standards) Alternative letter-case form of Whiskey from the NATO/ICAO Phonetic Alphabet.

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