balsamic vinegar

[ bawl-som-ik vin-i-ger, ‐sam‐ ]

/ bɔlˈsɒm ɪk ˌvɪn ɪ gər, ‐ˈsæm‐ /

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a sweetish, aromatic vinegar made from the must of white grapes and aged in wood barrels.

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Origin of balsamic vinegar

First recorded in 1980–85; translation of Italian aceto balsamico, literally, “restorative vinegar”; so called from its supposed medicinal effects, likened to balsam

Words nearby balsamic vinegar

balsam apple, balsam capivi, balsam family, balsam fir, balsamic, balsamic vinegar, balsamiferous, balsaminaceous, balsam of Peru, balsam of tolu, balsam pear

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use balsamic vinegar in a sentence

Five percent acidity is standard, while most wine and balsamic vinegars fall in the six to seven percent range.
The secret to vinegar’s tangy flavor lies in bacteria|Erin Fennessy|October 4, 2021|Popular-Science
The meaty spread embraces duck rillettes, head cheese made from delicious pig parts and hinting of star anise, and caramelized onions, which are dark, sticky and swollen with reduced balsamic vinegar.
La Bise adds a fun French touch to downtown Washington|Tom Sietsema|July 23, 2021|Washington Post
Remove the asparagus from the oven, drizzle with the balsamic vinegar and toss to coat.
Fluffy carbonara frittata, a riff on the classic pasta|Daniela Galarza|April 15, 2021|Washington Post
Caligula drank “pearls of great price dissolved in vinegar.”
An Ivy League Frat Boy’s Shallow Repentance|Stefan Beck|November 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Lohse and his beleaguered fellow pledges were, he claims, forced to chug vinegar and to dine on the dreaded “vomlet.”
An Ivy League Frat Boy’s Shallow Repentance|Stefan Beck|November 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Lexington (North Carolina) vinegar-pepper sauce comes in a small ramekin on the plate.
The Ultimate Southern Cheeseburger Created in South Carolina|Jane & Michael Stern|August 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
After a year, they would be washed with vinegar, dressed, and displayed.
Palermo Has an Underground City Filled With Its Mummified Dead|Nina Strochlic|May 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Women would first bathe their feet in a mixture of vinegar and natural vegetation.
Corsets, Muslin Disease, and More of the Deadly Fashion Trends|The Fashion Beast Team|April 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Narcotic poisons are neutralized by vinegar:—Narcotics … torpor … strong wine … sour wine … vinegar.
Assimilative Memory|Marcus Dwight Larrowe (AKA Prof. A. Loisette)
There was set there a vessel full of vinegar: so they put a sponge full of the vinegar upon hyssop, and brought it to his mouth.
His Last Week|William E. Barton
I frequently used to visit the plantations of nutmegs and cloves, and refresh myself with their balsamic fragrance.
A Woman's Journey Round the World|Ida Pfeiffer
Battle of Vinegar hill, at which the Irish rebels were completely routed and the insurrection crushed.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology|Joel Munsell
Either of them, or distilled vinegar alone, may be rubbed into a bald patch with a tooth-brush.
The Ladies' Book of Etiquette, and Manual of Politeness|Florence Hartley

British Dictionary definitions for balsamic vinegar

balsamic vinegar

noun

a type of dark-coloured sweet Italian vinegar made from white grapes and aged in wooden barrels over a number of years

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