Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

absinthe

American  
[ab-sinth] / ˈæb sɪnθ /
Or absinth

noun

absinthes plural
  1. a green, aromatic liqueur that is 68 percent alcohol, is made with wormwood and other herbs, and has a bitter, licorice flavor.

  2. wormwood.


absinthe British  
/ ˈæbsɪnθ /

noun

  1. a potent green alcoholic drink, technically a gin, originally having high wormwood content

  2. another name for wormwood

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Nouns

Etymology

Origin of absinthe

1605–15; < French < Latin absinthium wormwood < Greek apsínthion

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

In the absence of absinthe, quite a few anise-based spirits that didn't contain wormwood grew in popularity, but never quite hit the mass appeal of absinthe.

From Salon Mar. 11, 2023

This enormous and authoritative work of scholarship, nearly a decade in the making, covers nearly every aspect of its subject matter, from absinthe spoons to maceration to the Zombie.

From New York Times Dec. 23, 2021

Baz Luhrmann's 2001 jukebox musical was the film equivalent of absinthe, mind-alteringly great for some, queasily awful for others.

From BBC Jul. 26, 2019

These days, the books are stashed in a closet, and the visible artifacts in the apartment are homages to anime, absinthe, bodybuilding, and John Waters.

From The New Yorker Nov. 20, 2018

Isobel hesitates, glancing around at the clientele, a mostly bohemian crowd sipping absinthe and arguing about art.

From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern

Peter Schaf of Tempus Fugit Spirits, which specializes in absinthes and other historic spirits, notes that the addition of other herbs probably is partly due to the scarcity of artemisia plants.

From Washington Post Feb. 20, 2016

That’s largely a Czech Republic gimmick, one that seems to have been devised to hide the fact that many Czech absinthes aren’t true absinthes and are best when you don’t actually taste them.

From Washington Post Jul. 19, 2015

He is describing depression and alienation and every single thing the existentialists worried about over their absinthes.

From The Guardian Dec. 31, 2012

I had myself heard stories of a long dark room with a languid woman lying on a couch, smoking cigarettes, sipping absinthes perhaps and looking out upon the world with tired, disdainful eyes.

From Geography and Plays by Stein, Gertrude

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Dictionary.com's Learning Companion

Go beyond just looking up words.
Remember them forever with VocabTrainer.

Start training