(often initial capital letter) the brandy distilled in and shipped from the legally delimited area surrounding the town of Cognac, in W central France.
any French brandy.
any good brandy.
a town in SW France: centre of the district famed for its brandy. Pop: 19 534 (1999)
(sometimes not capital) a high-quality grape brandy
Borrowed into English from French around 1585–95
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Champagne and cognac accounted for 40 percent of the export values, at around 600 million euros each.
From Barron's • Jun. 15, 2026
In the two weeks preceding the election, Moscow banned the export of Armenian flowers, mineral water, cognac, fresh vegetables and fruit.
From BBC • Jun. 5, 2026
Sales in China tumbled 27% as consumers stayed away from bars, hitting the on-trade business, with cognac sales notably depressed, the company said.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 16, 2025
“She’s one of the smartest people I’ve ever observed,” said Elizabeth Pierce of Newbury Park, the lone red baseball cap in a field of cognac loafers and Chanel-inspired skirt suits.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 10, 2025
Obinze nodded, and Chief gave him another long look, before silently turning back to his cognac.
From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
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.
