raki

or ra·kee

[ rah-kee, ruh-, rak-ee, rah-kee ]

noun

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

raki

/ rɑːˈkiː; ˈrækɪ /

noun

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of raki¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of raki¹

C17: from Turkish rāqī

Example Sentences

“My sales have dropped by 90 percent,” said Nurettin, the owner of a store filled with wine, beer, Raki and whisky.

From The Daily Beast

The servants were clearing away the coffee and the raki, and bearing off the open and half-emptied cigar-boxes.

From Project Gutenberg

His drink is water, and now and then an intoxicating draught of bad raki or sour country wine.

From Project Gutenberg

They then diluted the mass of fruit with raki, or peach brandy, and struggled home or to sleep as best they could.

From Project Gutenberg

Directly these were brought, his Majesty ordered raki to be served to them in company with Bekri.

From Project Gutenberg

Raki is a colourless spirit, extracted from the skins of grapes after the wine-making.

From Project Gutenberg