proof spirit

American  

noun

1. an alcoholic liquor, or mixture of alcohol and water, containing a standard amount of alcohol. In the U.S. proof spirit has a specific gravity of .93353 (containing one half of its volume of alcohol of a specific gravity of .7939 at 60° F). In Britain proof spirit has a specific gravity of .91984.

---

proof spirit British  

noun

1. (in Britain and Canada) a mixture of alcohol and water or an alcoholic beverage that contains 49.28 per cent of alcohol by weight, 57.1 per cent by volume at 51°F: up until 1980 used as a standard of alcoholic liquids

2. (in the US) a similar standard mixture containing 50 per cent of alcohol by volume at 60°F

---

Etymology

Origin of proof spirit

First recorded in 1735–45

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

proof spirit

The amount of pollen was determined by exposing slips of glass, each having an area of a square centimeter, and coated with a sticky mixture of glycerine, water, proof spirit, and a little carbolic acid.

From Scientific American Supplement, No. 595, May 28, 1887 by Various

The Sonoma valley vineyards produce the lightest wines of all the Californian growths, some 211 of the white varieties indicating merely 15° of proof spirit, and the red ones no more than 17½°.

From Facts About Champagne and Other Sparkling Wines by Vizetelly, Henry

Sir David Brewster found with one of these instruments that the number of drops of pure water was 734, while of proof spirit, sp. gr.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 8, Slice 2 "Demijohn" to "Destructor" by Various

The result, however, will not be eight measures of proof spirit; in consequence of the contraction which ensues, there will be a deficiency of about ℥iv in each gallon.

From The Art of Perfumery And Methods of Obtaining the Odors of Plants by Piesse, George William Septimus

In England proof spirit is defined by Act 58, George III., to be such as shall at a temperature of 51° Fahrenheit weigh exactly the &frac12x13; part of an equal measure of distilled water.

From The Gutenberg Webster's Unabridged Dictionary Section P and Q by Project Gutenberg