quaff

[ kwof, kwaf, kwawf ]

/ kwɒf, kwæf, kwɔf /

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.

Nearby words

Origin of quaff

First recorded in 1515–25; origin uncertain

SYNONYMS FOR quaff

1. swallow, gulp, swig, guzzle.

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

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

Examples from the Web for quaffing

"It must only be for a small stake—a single sesterce," said the infatuated youth, quaffing a goblet of wine.
Valeria|William Henry Withrow
Quaffing nectar at mess with gods golden dishes, all ambrosial.
Ulysses|James Joyce
O'Ganlon procured some pickled fruit and vegetables from a sutler, which I ate voraciously, quaffing the vinegar like wine.
Campaigns of a Non-Combatant,|George Alfred Townsend
But if our predecessors exceeded us in superfluitie of meats, wee can compare and goe beyond them in drinking and quaffing.
The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction, Vol. 12, Issue 348, December 27, 1828|Various

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

/ (kwɒf, kwɑːf) /

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.