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tokay

[toh-key]
noun
  1. a gecko, Gekko gecko, of the Malay Archipelago and southeastern Asia: sometimes kept as a pet.
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Origin of tokay

1745–55; < dialectal Malay tokeʔ < Javanese təʔkəʔ (spelling tekek)

Tokay

[toh-key]
noun
  1. an aromatic wine made from Furmint grapes grown in the district surrounding Tokay, a town in NE Hungary.
  2. Horticulture.
    1. a large, red variety of grape, grown for table use.
    2. the vine bearing this fruit, grown in California.
  3. a sweet, strong white wine made in California.
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Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for tokay

Historical Examples

  • It sounded like “Tokay, tokay;” almost, indeed, like a human voice.

    In the Eastern Seas

    W.H.G. Kingston

  • While you drink your Tokay, know that it comes through Neisse.

  • Frau Kirschner had brought a flask of Tokay wine with her for Gertrude.

    The Goose Man

    Jacob Wassermann

  • Tokay was regarded at that time as a sort of elixir of life.

    The Goose Man

    Jacob Wassermann

  • Eleanore handed him the glass of Tokay; her eyes glistened with tears.

    The Goose Man

    Jacob Wassermann

British Dictionary definitions for tokay

tokay

noun
  1. a small gecko, Gekko gecko, of S and SE Asia, having a retractile claw at the tip of each digit
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Word Origin

from Malay toke, of imitative origin

Tokay

noun
  1. a fine sweet wine made near Tokaj, Hungary
  2. a variety of large sweet grape used to make this wine
  3. a similar wine made elsewhere
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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

Word Origin and History for tokay

n.

1710, rich sweet wine from the region of Tokay (Hungarian Tokaj) a town in Hungary.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper