quaff

[kwof, kwaf, kwawf]

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

1. swallow, gulp, swig, guzzle.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for quaffing

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

Examples from the Web for quaffing

Historical Examples of quaffing

It was quaffing from the fountain-head, not from streams of the imitation of imitation.
The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 17, No. 103, May, 1866
Various
Quaffing nectar at mess with gods golden dishes, all ambrosial.
Ulysses
James Joyce
The patriarchal Bacchus quaffing in his antediluvian vineyard!
My Miscellanies, Vol. 1 (of 2)
Wilkie Collins
To an onlooker they appear to be quaffing the flattest part of the sport, having missed all its head and froth.
The Thames
G. E. Mitton
Quaffing it down, and betaking himself to bed, under its somniferous influence, the Wye waterman is soon in the land of dreams.
Gwen Wynn
Mayne Reid

British Dictionary definitions for quaffing

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 quaffing

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.