quaff

Pronunciation

• IPA: /kwɒf/ (UK); /kwɑf/, /kwɔf/ (US)^[1]

Etymology

It is of unknown or uncertain origin.^{[2][3][4][5][6]} It is perhaps imitative of the sound of deep drinking,^[3][4] or from Low German quassen “to overindulge” with -ss- misread as -ff-.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

To drain a cup in a deep draught (1523, as quaft).^[7][3][5]

Semantic evolution

The intransitive sense, to drink deeply, is from 1529,^[7] and the transitive sense, to drink a liquor heartily, from 1555–58.^[7][3] The noun followed in 1579.^[7][3] Quaffable, of wine that is easy to drink, is a later formation.^[7][1]

Timeline

• 1510s – implied in quaffer.^[4]
• 1523 – to drain a cup.^[7][3][5]
• 1529 – to drink deeply.^[7]
• 1555 – the spelling quaff.^[3]
• 1579 – noun, a deep draught.^[7][3]

Modern meaning

Verb

1. To drink something heartily or in large draughts.

Noun

1. A hearty draught of liquid.

Word family

• quaffer

Usage notes

Random House gives swallow, gulp, swig and guzzle as synonyms.^[6]

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
3. ^ a b c d e f g h Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
4. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ a b Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
7. ^ a b c d e f g h Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press