aquavit

Etymology

It is borrowed from Norwegian akvavit, Swedish akvavit and Danish akvavit,^{[2][3][4][5][6]} from Medieval Latin aqua vītae (“water of life”),^{[4][5][7][8][9]} the source also of English aqua vitae.^[2][10] The Latin phrase is formed from Latin aqua (“water”) and the genitive of vīta (“life”).^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

A colourless or yellowish spirit distilled from potatoes or other starchy plants, the "schnapps" of Scandinavia: 1890, in Bennett's Handbook for Travellers in Norway.^[2] Merriam-Webster dates the word to 1864, and Dictionary.com to 1885–90.^[5][9]

Semantic evolution

English had used aqua vitae for medicinal alcohol since 1471 and for distilled drinks since the 16th century.^[10] Aquavit was borrowed separately from the Scandinavian form of the same phrase, for a clear liquor flavoured with caraway, and English also took the French translation as eau-de-vie.^[10] Merriam-Webster describes it as made by redistilling neutral spirits from grain, potatoes or wood waste, flavoured with caraway seeds and often drunk neat as an aperitif.^[5] The spelling akvavit is also used.^[5][11][3]

Timeline

• 1890 – a Scandinavian spirit distilled from potatoes or grain.^[2] Merriam-Webster dates the word to 1864.^[5]

Meanings

Noun

1. A clear or slightly yellow Scandinavian spirit distilled from grain or potatoes and flavoured with caraway seeds: They toasted the guests with small glasses of aquavit.^[5][11][2]

Related words

• aqua vitae
• eau-de-vie
• whiskey
• usquebaugh

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
4. ^ a b c The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (online 2024), 5th ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
5. ^ a b c d e f g Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ Stevenson, Angus, ed. (2010), Oxford Dictionary of English, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
7. ^ Gove, Philip Babcock, ed. (1961), Webster's Third New International Dictionary of the English Language, Unabridged, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam
8. ^ The World Book Dictionary (2015), Chicago: World Book
9. ^ a b Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
10. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster's Book of Word Histories, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
11. ^ a b Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins