vinegar

[vin-i-ger]

noun

1. 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.

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

3. sour or irritable speech, manner, or countenance.

   a note of vinegar in his voice.

4. Informal.,  vigor; high spirits; vim.

vinegar

/ ˈvɪnɪɡə /

noun

1. 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

2. sourness or peevishness of temper, countenance, speech, etc

3. pharmacol a medicinal solution in dilute acetic acid

4. informal,  vitality

verb

1. (tr) to apply vinegar to

Other Word Forms

• vinegarlike adjective
• vinegarish adjective
• vinegar-like adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of vinegar¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of vinegar¹

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

Example Sentences

I learned to force a patina—a controlled oxidation to protect the blade—with vinegar.

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Her room was a small one off the kitchen that had once been a pickle pantry, and it still smelled sharply of vinegar, as if a barrel of sauerkraut were hidden someplace nearby.

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After an hour of gentle simmering, I finished with a splash of apple cider vinegar, a stream of heavy cream and a dusting of parmesan, the final sauce glossy, fragrant, rich and unexpectedly bright.

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This year, only the company's sugar division suffered losses -- with its mills also producing fertiliser, vinegar, and industrial alcohol.

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Hemingway never writes of mojama, but Mike Campbell shared tuna and onions and oil and vinegar with the band of dancers who adopted them along the festival’s path.

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Related Words

• marinade