absinthe

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈæb.sɪnθ/, /ˈæb.sænθ/^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from French absinthe (“wormwood; essence of wormwood”),^[2][3][4][5] from Latin absinthium (“wormwood”),^[2][3][4][5] from Ancient Greek ἀψίνθιον (apsínthion, “wormwood”),^[2][3][4][5] a word of foreign origin,^[6] perhaps from Persian: compare Persian اسپند (aspand).^[4][7]

Earliest recorded meaning

The plant wormwood (1612 in the OED, Merriam-Webster and Weekley; before 1500 in Barnhart; c. 1500 in Etymonline).^{[8][5][9][3][4]}

Semantic evolution

The wormwood plant was a figure of bitter sorrow,^[4] and Wiktionary records the senses “wormwood” and “bitterness” from Middle English.^[1] The liqueur, distilled from wine mixed with wormwood, is first recorded in 1842,^[8][3][4] and Weekley says Thackeray is the first to mention it.^[9] The French name is short for extrait d'absinthe, essence of wormwood.^[4] Merriam-Webster Unabridged notes that it began as a tonic in Switzerland at the end of the 18th century and became associated with the French army in Algeria.^[10] Because of its toxicity its production was later banned in many countries.^[2][5][11] In the United States the name was also given to the sagebrush (1843).^[8]

Timeline

• c. 1500 – wormwood (Etymonline).^[4][3]
• 1612 – first quotation in the OED.^[8][5]
• 1842 – the liqueur.^[8][3][4]
• 1843 – the sagebrush (US).^[8]
• 1865 – essence of wormwood.^[8]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A strong, green, bitter liqueur flavoured with wormwood, anise and other herbs, with a high alcohol content.
2. The plant wormwood, Artemisia absinthium.
3. A yellowish-green colour.

Word family

• absinthial

Related words

• wormwood
• vermouth
• pastis
• anise

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
3. ^ a b c d e f g Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ a b c d e f Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ Partridge, Eric (1966), Origins: A Short Etymological Dictionary of Modern English, 4th ed., London: Routledge & Kegan Paul
8. ^ a b c d e f g Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
9. ^ a b Weekley, Ernest (1921), An Etymological Dictionary of Modern English, London: John Murray
10. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
11. ^ Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House