carafe
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of carafe
1780–90; < French < Italian caraff ( a ) < Spanish garrafa, perhaps < dialectal Arabic gharrāfah dipper, drinking vessel
Explanation
Wine is often served in a carafe, a flask, usually of glass or metal, with a wide mouth. It usually presents a more elegant way to serve than using the wine's original bottle or — heavens! — box. While carafes have been used since very early times, the word itself came through Spanish, Italian, and French, probably from the Arabic word gharrafa "ladle, scoop." It entered English by 1786.
Vocabulary lists containing carafe
English Food and Drink Words Derived from Arabic
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Shadowshaper
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Vocabulary Video Contest (2013) - List 1
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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.
The tea-hued coffee, which he presented in an individual carafe over an ice sphere, tasted like Raisinets and wound up being the highlight of my search.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 17, 2026
It's simple, drip Intelligentsia, but it's served cold in a carafe alongside a glass packed with crushed ice, and, if you like, a smaller carafe of cream and a complementary slice of coffee cake.
From Salon • Jul. 24, 2023
On this day she brought leftover kebabs, a carafe of Turkish coffee and a prayer rug.
From New York Times • Apr. 11, 2023
A couple of touches, like a thermal carafe of hot chocolate and a string of battery-powered lights on your bike, can kick the outing into full holiday mode.
From Seattle Times • Dec. 2, 2022
Dominic sat at the table and poured himself a cup of coffee from the carafe.
From "Shadowshaper" by Daniel José Older
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
