quaff

[kwof, kwaf, kwawf]

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verb (used without object)

to drink a beverage, especially an intoxicating one, copiously and with hearty enjoyment.

verb (used with object)

to drink (a beverage) copiously and heartily: We spent the whole evening quaffing ale.

noun

an act or instance of quaffing.
a beverage quaffed.

Origin of quaff

First recorded in 1515–25; origin uncertain

Related formsquaff·er, nounout·quaff, verb (used with object)un·quaffed, adjective

Synonyms for quaff

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1. swallow, gulp, swig, guzzle.

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

Related Words for quaff

sip, swill, imbibe, swig, gulp, guzzle, toss, partake, down, ingurgitate, sup, swallow

Examples from the Web for quaff

Contemporary Examples of quaff

But is his quaff really as provocative a fashion statement as Mel says it is?
The 14 Best Mel Remixes
The Daily Beast Video
July 16, 2010

Historical Examples of quaff

Strollers come from the town to quaff the freshening breeze.
The Toll Gatherer's Day (From "Twice Told Tales")
Nathaniel Hawthorne
I laugh with them, I quaff with them, I let them rob me; but that's all.
The Trail of '98
Robert W. Service
He must beware how he presume yet to quaff the volatile and fiery spirit.
Zanoni
Edward Bulwer Lytton
He handed Carpenter a glass and each drank off his cocktail at a quaff.
The Bishop of Cottontown
John Trotwood Moore
I rest under the shade of the corozo palm, and quaff the wine of the acrocomia.
The War Trail
Mayne Reid

British Dictionary definitions for quaff

quaff

verb

to drink heartily or in one draught

Derived Formsquaffable, adjectivequaffer, noun

Word Origin for quaff

C16: perhaps of imitative origin; compare Middle Low German quassen to eat or drink excessively

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 quaff

1510s (implied in quaffer), perhaps imitative, or perhaps from Low German quassen "to overindulge (in food and drink)," with -ss- misread as -ff-. Related: Quaffed; quaffing. The noun is attested by 1570s, from the verb.