bitters

American  

[bit-erz] / ˈbɪt ərz /

noun

(used with a plural verb)

1. a liquid, often an alcoholic liquor, in which bitter herbs or roots have steeped, used as a flavoring, especially in mixed drinks, or as a tonic.

2. Pharmacology.

   1. a liquid, usually alcoholic, impregnated with a bitter medicine, as gentian or quassia, used to increase the appetite or as a tonic.

   2. bitter medicinal substances in general, as quinine.

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bitters British  

/ ˈbɪtəz /

plural noun

1. bitter-tasting spirits of varying alcoholic content flavoured with plant extracts

2. a similar liquid containing a bitter-tasting substance, used as a tonic to stimulate the appetite or improve digestion

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Etymology

Origin of bitters

First recorded in 1705–15; bitter + -s ³

Example Sentences

Shuttled from one specialist to the next, the girl had been prescribed to shun garlic, consume disproportionate quantities of bitters, meditate, drink green coconut water, and swallow raw duck’s eggs beaten in milk.

From Literature

Some chocolate had the bitters and you added sugar.

From Literature

Of course, bitters soon outgrew their medicinal origins.

From Salon

This Italian-inspired cocktail den from the team behind the Capitol Hill dive Rose Temple cranks out amaro, spritz and funky concoctions like a chocolate-cereal-infused rye cocktail with Demerara and Angostura bitters.

From Seattle Times

If you want to make a nonalcoholic drink, simply add soda water, tonic and, if you like, a few dashes of Angostura bitters.

From Seattle Times