water from the vine: it's a new year!

:: disclaimer ::

this blog supports responsible drinking. you must be of legal age in your country of residence to continue on this site.

definition

from L., lit. "water of life," 1471 as an alchemical term for unrefined alcohol. Applied to brandy, whiskey, etc. from 1547. Cf. whiskey, Fr. eau-de-vie "spirits, brandy," lit. "water of life."

Akvavit (also spelled aquavit or akevitt) is a flavored spirit that is produced in Scandinavia and typically contains 40% alcohol by volume. Its name comes from aqua vitae, the Latin for “water of life,” and is pronounced /AHKV?-veet/.

history

An apocryphal story holds that akvavit actually means “water from the vine,” a picturesque folk etymology derived through conflation of Latin vitae (genitive of vita) with the Italian vite (vine).