Bourbon

American  

[boor-buhn, bawr-, bohr-, boor-bawn, bur-buhn] / ˈbʊər bən, ˈbɔr-, ˈboʊr-, burˈbɔ̃, ˈbɜr bən /

noun

1. a member of a French royal family that ruled in France 1589–1792, Spain 1700–1931, and Naples 1735–1806, 1815–60.

2. Charles Constable de Bourbon, 1490–1527, French general.

3. a person who is extremely conservative or reactionary.

4. Also called bourbon whiskey.  (lowercase) a straight whiskey distilled from a mash having 51 percent or more corn: originally the corn whiskey produced in Bourbon County, Kentucky.

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Bourbon ¹ British  

/ burbɔ̃, ˈbʊəbən /

noun

1. 1. a member of the European royal line that ruled in France from 1589 to 1793 (when Louis XVI was executed by the revolutionaries) and was restored in 1815, continuing to rule in its Orleans branch from 1830 until 1848. Bourbon dynasties also ruled in Spain (1700–1808; 1813–1931) and Naples and Sicily (1734–1806; 1815–1860)

   2. ( as modifier )

      the Bourbon kings

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bourbon ² British  

/ ˈbɜːbən /

noun

1. a whiskey distilled, chiefly in the US, from maize, esp one containing at least 51 per cent maize (the rest being malt and rye) and aged in charred white-oak barrels

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Etymology

Origin of bourbon

C19: named after Bourbon county, Kentucky, where it was first made

Example Sentences

His thought processes recall Talleyrand’s description of the Bourbon kings: “They forgot nothing and they learned nothing.”

From Salon

Gaffigan called this special “niche,” but the truth is, when he’s the symposiarch, “The Bourbon Set” is an oak barrel of straight-up laughs for the masses.

From Los Angeles Times

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

“If it can make Bourbon Street smell lemony fresh,” Torres says the bottle will read, “imagine what it can do for you.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Chamberlain quickly began doing guest roles on TV series such as “Gunsmoke,” “Bourbon Street Beat” and “Alfred Hitchcock Presents.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• alcohol
• drink
• liquor
• spirits