liqueur

American  

[li-kur, -kyoor, lee-kœr] / lɪˈkɜr, -ˈkyʊər, liˈkœr /

noun

1. any of a class of alcoholic liquors, usually strong, sweet, and highly flavored, as Chartreuse or curaçao, generally served after dinner; cordial.

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liqueur British  

/ lɪˈkjʊə, likœr /

noun

1. 1. any of several highly flavoured sweetened spirits such as kirsch or cointreau, intended to be drunk after a meal

   2. ( as modifier )

      liqueur glass

2. a small hollow chocolate sweet containing liqueur

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Etymology

Origin of liqueur

From French, dating back to 1735–45; liquor

Example Sentences

It isn’t quite brat—more akin to the Yellow Chartreuse liqueur.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 5, 2026

The process of flambeing the liqueur eliminates the sharpness of the alcohol and leaves behind a nicely caramelized flavor, but you can omit this step entirely, if you so choose.

From Salon • Oct. 24, 2024

Patrons can order shrimp served with a creamy sauce made with vanilla extract, a chayote squash soup with vanilla seeds, a vanilla liqueur drink called Papenteco Kiss and plantains flambéed with vanilla ice cream.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 5, 2024

“There is a liqueur in southern Germany called gentian schnapps that contains an extract of that plant,” says Maik Behrens, a molecular biologist at the Technical University of Munich and co-author of the new study.

From Science Magazine • Nov. 12, 2023

He came back with a liqueur glass on a silver salver.

From "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier

Related Words

• alcoholic beverage
• brandy