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.

---

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

---

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

See Examples For:

raki

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

I had to stuff the jar of raki and the packet of cherry paste under the bundles of wool on the pack mule in order to yank on Rostam’s harness with both hands.

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