ratafia
[rat-uh-fee-uh]
- a sweet liqueur made from wine or grape juice combined with brandy or other spirits and often flavored with almonds, fruit, or fruit kernels.
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Also rat·a·fee [rat-uh-fee] /ˌræt əˈfi/.
Origin of ratafia
Borrowed into English from French around 1690–1700
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for ratafia
Historical Examples of ratafia
From their replies, the Emperor suspected that it was ratafia; but he would not have sworn to it.
The Fte At CoquevilleEmile Zola
The yolks of eight eggs, about eight drops of essence of ratafia.
It was cheap, clean, certain, and the taste of ratafia was far from unpleasant.
When Ghost Meets GhostWilliam Frend De Morgan
Ratafia is similarly manufactured, also by preference from a gean.
Mix them with the flour and sugar and then very, very carefully add a few drops of ratafia.
ratafia
ratafee (ˌrætəˈfiː)
- any liqueur made from fruit or from brandy with added fruit
- a flavouring essence made from almonds
- Also called: ratafia biscuit mainly British a small macaroon flavoured with almonds
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Word Origin for ratafia
C17: from West Indian Creole French
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for ratafia
liqueur flavored with kernels of cherries, apricots, etc., 1690s, from French ratafia (17c.), of unknown origin; perhaps ultimately from the same source as arrack.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper