ratafia

[ rat-uh-fee-uh ]

/ ˌræt əˈfi ə /

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noun

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

Words nearby ratafia

rasure, rat, rata, ratable, ratable value, ratafia, ratafia biscuit, Ratak Chain, ratal, ratan, Ratana

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use ratafia in a sentence

Mix them with the flour and sugar and then very, very carefully add a few drops of ratafia.
My Pet Recipes, Tried and True|Various
The table was decked out with divers platters, containing seed-cakes cut into rhomboids, almond biscuits, and ratafia drops.
Tales from "Blackwood"|Various
Upon this lay sponge finger biscuits and ratafia cakes, and pour over just enough new milk to make them soft.
Nelson's Home Comforts|Mary Hooper
Bruised cherries with their stones are infused in spirit of wine to make the ratafia of Grenoble de Teyssère.
A Dictionary of Arts, Manufactures and Mines|Andrew Ure

The fruit is also very extensively employed in the preparation of the liqueurs known as kirschwasser, ratafia and maraschino.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 6, Slice 1|Various

British Dictionary definitions for ratafia

ratafia

ratafee (ˌrætəˈfiː)

/ (ˌrætəˈfɪə) /

noun

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

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 Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012