geneva

Pronunciation

• IPA: /dʒəˈniː.və/, /dʒɪˈniː.və/^[1]

Etymology

It is, altered under the influence of the name of the Swiss city of Geneva, borrowed from Dutch genever (“juniper”) (now jenever),^[2][3][4] from Old French genevre (modern genièvre),^[3][5] from Latin jūniperus (“juniper”) (see juniper).^[3][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

A spirit distilled from grain and flavoured with juniper berries: 1706.^[2][6]

Semantic evolution

The word was soon shortened to gin.^[3] Genevaed, drunk on geneva, is from 1755.^[6] The drink is also called Hollands.^[3][4]

Timeline

• 1706 – geneva.^[2][6]
• 1755 – genevaed, drunk.^[6]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A strong Dutch gin flavoured with juniper berries, also called Hollands.

Related words

• gin
• juniper
• jenever

Usage notes

Geneva, the city in Switzerland, is from Latin Genava, perhaps from a root meaning “estuary” or “bend”, after its position;^[2] it gave its name to the Geneva Conventions and Geneva bands, the clerical bands of the Swiss Calvinists.^[2][7]

References

1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
2. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
3. ^ a b c d e Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
4. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
5. ^ a b Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ a b c d Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press