raki

American  

[rah-kee, ruh-, rak-ee, rah-kee] / rɑˈki, rə-, ˈræk i, ˈrɑ ki /

Or rakee

noun

1. a spirituous liquor distilled from grain, grapes, plums, etc., in southeastern Europe and western Asia.

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raki British  

/ ˈrækɪ, rɑːˈkiː /

noun

1. a strong spirit distilled in Turkey, the former Yugoslavia, etc, from grain, usually flavoured with aniseed or other aromatics

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Etymology

Origin of raki

First recorded in 1610–20; from Ottoman Turkish raqi (Turkish raki ) “spirits, brandy,” from Arabic ʿaraqī, equivalent to ʿaraq arrack + -ī a suffix indicating relationship or origin

Example Sentences

Here you’ll find locals sampling smoked octopus and cheese böreks alongside rivers of anise-flavored raki.

From Time • Sep. 25, 2017

Afterward, while visitors sipped raki, I spoke with Father Sava Janjic, the abbot of Decani.

From New York Times • Sep. 13, 2016

Men and women still gather in outdoor bars to sip raki, watch soccer and shoot the breeze.

From The Wall Street Journal • Aug. 28, 2016

At parties, over glasses of coffee or raki, he described the place in mythic terms, as a kind of Anatolian Macondo, populated by people with names like Haji Mama, Deli Weli, Apple Popo.

From The New Yorker • Dec. 29, 2014

Finally, he shoved the tea tray into my chest and took the jar of raki.

From "The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams" by Daniel Nayeri