kirsch

[ keersh ]

/ kɪərʃ /

noun

a fragrant, colorless, unaged brandy distilled from a fermented mash of cherries, produced especially in Germany, Switzerland, and Alsace, France.

Nearby words

Origin of kirsch

1810–20; < German Kirsch, shortened form of Kirschwasser, equivalent to Kirsch(e) cherry + Wasser water

Also called kirsch·was·ser

[keersh-vah-ser] /ˈkɪərʃˌvɑ sər/.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for kirschwasser

The slices of pine-apples may be soaked in kirschwasser for twenty-four hours before using them.
Hand-Book of Practical Cookery for Ladies and Professional Cooks|Pierre Blot
Mix one pound of flour with five whole eggs, with a very little or no salt, and a pony of kirschwasser, if desired.
The Hotel St. Francis Cook Book|Victor Hirtzler
On being tasted, it proved to be that fiery and intoxicating spirit known in commerce as Kirsch or Kirschwasser.
Fragments of science, V. 1-2|John Tyndall
Taste that, master; take a small glass of kirschwasser, and then lie down.
The Man-Wolf and Other Tales|Emile Erckmann and Alexandre Chatrian

Flavor with a glassful of any kind of wine; or a pony of cognac, kirschwasser, or other cordial, as you may desire.
The Hotel St. Francis Cook Book|Victor Hirtzler

British Dictionary definitions for kirschwasser

Kirsch

Kirschwasser (ˈkɪəʃˌvɑːsə)

/ (kɪəʃ) /

noun

a brandy distilled from cherries, made chiefly in the Black Forest in Germany and in the Jura and Vosges districts of France

Word Origin for Kirsch

German Kirschwasser cherry water

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

Word Origin and History for kirschwasser

kirschwasser

"liquor distilled from fermented cherry juice," 1819, from German Kirschwasser, literally "cherry-water;" first element from Middle High German kirse, from Old High German kirsa, from Vulgar Latin *ceresia, from Late Latin cerasium "cherry" (see cherry). For second element, see water (n.1).