kumiss

or kou·mis, kou·miss, kou·myss

[koo-mis]

noun

fermented mare's or camel's milk, used as a beverage by Asian nomads.
a similar drink prepared from other milk, especially that of the cow, and used for dietetic and medicinal purposes.

Origin of kumiss

1590–1600; < Russian kumys < Turkic kιmιz

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for kumiss

Historical Examples of kumiss

This was kumiss, a fermented mare's milk which was the wine and water of the steppes.
The Defiant Agents
Andre Alice Norton
And at every halt they passed from hand to hand the skin bag of kumiss.
The Defiant Agents
Andre Alice Norton
They gave him tea and kumiss, and had a sheep killed, and gave him mutton to eat.
What Men Live By and Other Tales
Leo Tolstoy
I asked for kumiss and a pony of Benedictine, as my stone boudoir made me feel rocky, but it has not yet been sent up.
The Wit and Humor of America, Volume VIII (of X)
Various

British Dictionary definitions for kumiss

kumiss

koumiss, koumis or koumyss

noun

a drink made from fermented mare's or other milk, drunk by certain Asian tribes, esp in Russia or used for dietetic and medicinal purposes

Word Origin for kumiss

C17: from Russian kumys, from Kazan Tatar kumyz

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