quaff
[kwof, kwaf, kwawf]
- to drink a beverage, especially an intoxicating one, copiously and with hearty enjoyment.
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- to drink (a beverage) copiously and heartily: We spent the whole evening quaffing ale.
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- an act or instance of quaffing.
- a beverage quaffed.
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Origin of quaff
First recorded in 1515–25; origin uncertain
Synonyms
See more synonyms for quaff on Thesaurus.com1. swallow, gulp, swig, guzzle.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for quaff
Contemporary Examples
But is his quaff really as provocative a fashion statement as Mel says it is?
Historical Examples
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 '98Robert W. Service
He must beware how he presume yet to quaff the volatile and fiery spirit.
ZanoniEdward Bulwer Lytton
He handed Carpenter a glass and each drank off his cocktail at a quaff.
The Bishop of CottontownJohn Trotwood Moore
I rest under the shade of the corozo palm, and quaff the wine of the acrocomia.
The War TrailMayne Reid
quaff
- to drink heartily or in one draught
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Word Origin
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
v.
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.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper