Liberal Dictionary English Dictionary
noun
- alcohol.
- spirituous liquor, as brandy or whiskey.
noun
- an archaic name for brandy
early 15c., Latin, literally “water of life,” an alchemical term for unrefined alcohol. Applied to brandy, whiskey, etc. from 1540s. Cf. whiskey, also French eau-de-vie “spirits, brandy,” literally “water of life.”