liquor

American  

[lik-er, lik-wawr] / ˈlɪk ər, ˈlɪk wɔr /

noun

1. a distilled or spirituous beverage, as brandy or whiskey, as distinguished from a fermented beverage, as wine or beer.

2. any liquid substance, as broth from cooked meats or vegetables.

   Synonyms:

   juice

3. Pharmacology.  solution.

4. a solution of a substance, especially a concentrated one used in the industrial arts.

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verb (used with object)

1. Informal.  to furnish or ply with liquor to drink (often followed byup ).

verb (used without object)

1. Informal.  to drink large quantities of liquor (often followed byup ).

liquor British  

/ ˈlɪkə /

noun

1. any alcoholic drink, esp spirits, or such drinks collectively

2. any liquid substance, esp that in which food has been cooked

3. pharmacol a solution of a pure substance in water

4. brewing warm water added to malt to form wort

5. drunk; intoxicated

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verb

1. brewing to steep (malt) in warm water to form wort; mash

Other Word Forms

• antiliquor adjective
• liquory adjective

Etymology

Origin of liquor

1175–1225; < Latin: a liquid, originally liquidity ( liqu ( ēre ) to be liquid + -or -or ¹ ); replacing Middle English lic ( o ) ur < Old French ( French liqueur ) < Latin liquōrem, accusative of liquor

Example Sentences

Which is how Gaffigan ended up riffing on “unicorns” and “the decidedly divorced-dad energy” of liquor stores for 45 minutes on YouTube, where he recently self-released “The Bourbon Set” for free.

From The Wall Street Journal

“Most of these drinks were served in clubs and discotheques… they were brightly colored. If you’re at a discotheque, you don’t want a glass of brown liquor.”

From Salon

In another clip, federal agents detained an elderly man sitting on the sidewalk near a liquor store, “making sure to put a handcuff on his hand as they helped him up.”

From Los Angeles Times

That countered higher receipts at beer, wine and liquor stores, and at supermarkets and grocery retailers.

From The Wall Street Journal

On reaching the outskirts of the capital, Patna, the team found a ramshackle setup of a dozen metal drums - part of a makeshift apparatus fermenting jaggery, a type of cane sugar, into country liquor.

From BBC

Related Words

• alcohol
• booze
• whiskey