mescal

[ me-skal ]

/ mɛˈskæl /

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noun

an intoxicating beverage distilled from the fermented juice of certain species of agave.

any agave yielding this spirit.

Also called peyote. either of two species of spineless, dome-shaped cactus, Lophophora williamsii or L. diffusa, of Texas and northern Mexico, yielding the hallucinogen peyote.

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Origin of mescal

1695–1705, Americanism;<Mexican Spanish mescal, mezcal, mexcal<Nahuatl mexcalli intoxicant distilled from agave (perhaps equivalent to me(tl) maguey + (i)xcalli something cooked)

Words nearby mescal

mesatipellic, mesatipellic pelvis, Mesa Verde, mesaxon, mesc, mescal, mescal bean, mescal button, Mescalero, mescaline, mesclun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use mescal in a sentence

Now they take home strange men they meet buying mescal at the grocery store, and have a hell of a wild night.
How Crazy Became All the Rage on TV|Elizabeth Wurtzel|October 11, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The honey from the flowers of mescal and mesquite is the best to be obtained in this country of innumerable bees.
Tales of lonely trails|Zane Grey
Bartley suggested that they sit at one of the side tables and study the effects of mescal on the natives present.
Partners of Chance|Henry Herbert Knibbs
The peddler called anxiously, "Will you give me some mescal?"
The Story of Geronimo|James Arthur Kjelgaard

The Indian's life really lay in gathering and roasting mescal.
Hunting in Many Lands|Various
It is generally through mescal that the Indians become peons.
Unknown Mexico, Volume 1 (of 2)|Carl Lumholtz

British Dictionary definitions for mescal

mescal

/ (mɛˈskæl) /

noun

Also called: peyote a spineless globe-shaped cactus, Lophophora williamsii, of Mexico and the southwestern US. Its button-like tubercles (mescal buttons) contain mescaline and are chewed by certain Indian tribes for their hallucinogenic effects

a colourless alcoholic spirit distilled from the fermented juice of certain agave plants

Word Origin for mescal

C19: from American Spanish, from Nahuatl mexcalli the liquor, from metl maguey + ixcalli stew

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