whiskey

American  

[hwis-kee, wis-] / ˈʰwɪs ki, ˈwɪs- /

Or whisky

noun

plural

whiskeys

1. an alcoholic liquor distilled from a fermented mash of grain, as barley, rye, or corn, and usually containing from 43 to 50 percent alcohol.

2. a drink of whiskey.

3. a word used in communications to represent the letter W.

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adjective

1. made of, relating to, or resembling whiskey.

Whiskey ¹ British  

/ ˈwɪskɪ /

noun

1. communications a code word for the letter w

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whiskey ² British  

/ ˈwɪskɪ /

noun

1. the usual Irish and US spelling of whisky

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Etymology

Origin of whiskey

1705–15; short for whiskybae < Irish uisce beatha or Scots Gaelic uisge beatha, ultimately translation of Medieval Latin aqua vitae literally, water of life; usquebaugh

Example Sentences

Gaffigan is serious enough about his pursuit to say “my whiskey journey” several times in conversation with a straight face and no air quotes.

From The Wall Street Journal

The Idle Hour bar in North Hollywood, constructed in 1941, resembles a large whiskey barrel.

From Los Angeles Times

But when sales declined in the second part of the 20th centuries, distillers started aging their excess bottles, which helped create the market we have now for premium, aged Scotch whiskey.

From BBC

The country makes up about a third of Irish whiskey exports and almost 18% of champagne exports.

From BBC

The new €72bn in countermeasures are said to include proposed tariffs on bourbon whiskey, chemicals, cars, aircraft and aircraft parts.

From BBC

Related Words

• alcohol
• drink
• liquor
• spirits