vinegar

American  

[vin-i-ger] / ˈvɪn ɪ gər /

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 British  

/ 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

• vinegar-like adjective
• vinegarish adjective
• vinegarlike adjective

Etymology

Origin of vinegar

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

Example Sentences

Then, while they were still warm, I’d do something crucial: ladle over more golden olive oil, a shake of oregano, red pepper flakes, and a splash of red wine vinegar.

From Salon

All my spices and rice paper noodles; canned goods, condiments, vinegars, oils.

From The Wall Street Journal

And then there are the finishing touches: cream, fresh herbs, a slick of oil, a splash of vinegar—the small, deliberate choices that make a soup feel finished rather than merely done.

From Salon

There’s the Italian-style pasta salad, tossed in olive oil and vinegar and studded with olive-bar favorites — roasted red pepper, artichoke hearts, basil — and perhaps some deli stalwarts, like chopped cured meats or cheeses.

From Salon

According to Alpha News, the syringe allegedly used in the attack by the suspect, Anthony Kazmierczak, was filled with apple cider vinegar.

From BBC

Related Words

• marinade