vinegar

[ vin-i-ger ]

/ ˈvɪn ɪ gər /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for vinegar on Thesaurus.com

noun

a sour liquid consisting of dilute and impure acetic acid, obtained by acetous fermentation from wine, cider, beer, ale, or the like: used as a condiment, preservative, etc.

Pharmacology. a solution of a medicinal substance in dilute acetic acid, or vinegar.

sour or irritable speech, manner, or countenance: a note of vinegar in his voice.

Informal. vigor; high spirits; vim.

QUIZ

QUIZ YOURSELF ON "IS" VS. "ARE"

"Is" it time for a new quiz? "Are" you ready? Then prove your excellent skills on using "is" vs. "are."

Question 1 of 7

IS and ARE are both forms of which verb?

have

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of vinegar

1250–1300; Middle English vinegre<Old French, equivalent to vinwine + egre, aigre sour (see eager)

OTHER WORDS FROM vinegar

vin·e·gar·like, adjective

Words nearby vinegar

vine, vineal, vine cactus, vined, vinedresser, vinegar, vinegar eel, vinegarette, vinegar fly, vinegarish, vinegarroon

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use vinegar in a sentence

“Materials don’t usually encounter a pH that’s that low, so it’s not like if you put PDKs in vinegar, the polymer is going to start breaking down,” Helms says.
Chemists are reimagining recycling to keep plastics out of landfills|Maria Temming|January 27, 2021|Science News
Discard the bay leaf, then stir in the vinegar, and season to taste with additional salt and pepper, if desired.
Hearty winter vegetables are at the root of this red wine chicken stew|Ellie Krieger|January 21, 2021|Washington Post
Made with little more than tomatoes, vinegar, sugar, salt and spices, the umami-packed ingredient can help add a missing element to a dish.
The secret ingredient in these 5 recipes? Ketchup!|Kari Sonde|January 14, 2021|Washington Post
Personally, I went for three varying dilutions of vinegar for cleaning and one water-only bottle for misting plants.
7 gifts to take the stress out of stress-cleaning|Jessica Boddy|December 16, 2020|Popular-Science

Take a bite of an onion, chase it with a shot of vinegar, and then finish with a chunk of lemon.
Can’t smell or taste the bacon? It’s probably a sign of COVID-19.|Tara Santora|December 11, 2020|Popular-Science
Caligula drank “pearls of great price dissolved in vinegar.”
An Ivy League Frat Boy’s Shallow Repentance|Stefan Beck|November 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Lohse and his beleaguered fellow pledges were, he claims, forced to chug vinegar and to dine on the dreaded “vomlet.”
An Ivy League Frat Boy’s Shallow Repentance|Stefan Beck|November 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Lexington (North Carolina) vinegar-pepper sauce comes in a small ramekin on the plate.
The Ultimate Southern Cheeseburger Created in South Carolina|Jane & Michael Stern|August 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
After a year, they would be washed with vinegar, dressed, and displayed.
Palermo Has an Underground City Filled With Its Mummified Dead|Nina Strochlic|May 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Women would first bathe their feet in a mixture of vinegar and natural vegetation.
Corsets, Muslin Disease, and More of the Deadly Fashion Trends|The Fashion Beast Team|April 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Narcotic poisons are neutralized by vinegar:—Narcotics … torpor … strong wine … sour wine … vinegar.
Assimilative Memory|Marcus Dwight Larrowe (AKA Prof. A. Loisette)
There was set there a vessel full of vinegar: so they put a sponge full of the vinegar upon hyssop, and brought it to his mouth.
His Last Week|William E. Barton
Battle of Vinegar hill, at which the Irish rebels were completely routed and the insurrection crushed.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology|Joel Munsell
Either of them, or distilled vinegar alone, may be rubbed into a bald patch with a tooth-brush.
The Ladies' Book of Etiquette, and Manual of Politeness|Florence Hartley
At present, I am getting some sleep again, but I still eat mechanically, horsewise—rubbing my mouth with vinegar.
Women of Modern France|Hugo P. Thieme

British Dictionary definitions for vinegar

vinegar

/ (ˈvɪnɪɡə) /

noun

a sour-tasting liquid consisting of impure dilute acetic acid, made by oxidation of the ethyl alcohol in beer, wine, or cider. It is used as a condiment or preservative

sourness or peevishness of temper, countenance, speech, etc

pharmacol a medicinal solution in dilute acetic acid

US and Canadian informal vitality

verb

(tr) to apply vinegar to

Derived forms of vinegar

vinegarish, adjectivevinegar-like, adjective

Word Origin for vinegar

C13: from Old French vinaigre, from vin wine + aigre sour, from Latin acer sharp

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

Medical definitions for vinegar

vinegar

[ vĭn′ĭ-gər ]

An impure dilute solution of acetic acid obtained by fermentation beyond the alcohol stage and used as a preservative.

vinegar

Origin of vinegar

OTHER WORDS FROM vinegar

Words nearby vinegar

Words related to vinegar

How to use vinegar in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for vinegar

Derived forms of vinegar

Word Origin for vinegar

Medical definitions for vinegar