Etymologically
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winery

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 31 October 2026 at 23:47. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • /ˈwaɪnəɹi/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from English wine + -ery,[2][3][4][5] originally in American English.[3][4][5] Middle English had vintrie for a place where wine was sold, from about 1300.[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

An establishment where wine is made: 1867 in Etymonline,[3] while the OED's first quotation is from Harper's Magazine of December 1882.[2][6]

Semantic evolution

The word has kept its one sense, a place where wine is made, since its first records in American English in the later 19th century.[2][4][5] A bonded winery is one licensed to make wine under government bond.[4] In West Indian dancehall slang of the 1990s, winery meant sexual prowess.[7]

Timeline

  • 1867 – an establishment for making wine, in American English.[3] The OED's first quotation is from 1882.[2][6]
  • 1995 – West Indian slang, sexual prowess.[7]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A building or business where wine is made: They toured a small winery in the hills.[6][2][4]

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 c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c d e Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  5. ^ a b c Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
  6. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  7. ^ a b Green, Jonathon (2010), Green's Dictionary of Slang, London: Chambers; digital ed. 2016–, https://greensdictofslang.com