whisky

Forms

whisky m (plural whiskies or whiskys)^[1] Earlier wiskey (1770, as an English word), whyskey (1785) and wiskey (1786); whisky from 1801.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is borrowed from English whisky (recorded as wiskie in 1715 and in its present spelling in 1746), short for whiskybae, an anglicized form of usquebaugh.^[2][3][4] This comes from Gaelic, Irish uisce beatha (“water of life”) in the Irish form the TLFi and Bloch–Wartburg give, Scottish Gaelic uisge beatha in the DHLF, made of the word for “water” and the genitive of the word for “life”.^[2][5][3] Rey relates the first element to English water and the second to Old Irish bethu and Greek βίος (bíos).^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found in 1770, in Contant d'Orville's Nuits anglaises, quoted as the English word usque-baugh or Wiskey.^[2][6]

Semantic evolution

The spelling whyskey appears in 1785 in Chastellux's account of his travels in America, and whisky in 1801, in La Tocnaye's walk through Ireland.^[2] By metonymy it means a glass of whisky from 1897.^[2][3] The form whiskey, found in English from 1753, came to be used in trade for Irish whiskies and is the usual American spelling; in French it now names the Irish drink only.^[2][3] For Scotch whisky French also uses scotch (1954), and for American whisky bourbon (1930).^[3]

Timeline

• 1770 – Quoted as an English word by Contant d'Orville.^[2]
• 1785 – Whyskey in Chastellux.^[2][3]
• 1801 – Whisky in La Tocnaye.^[2]
• 1897 – “A glass of whisky”.^[2][3]
• 1930 – Bourbon for American whisky.^[3]
• 1954 – Scotch for Scotch whisky.^[3]

Meanings

Noun

1. Whisky, a strong grain spirit made from barley, rye, oats or maize, from Scotland, Ireland or North America: whisky pur malt.^[7][2][1]
2. A glass of whisky: commander deux whiskys.^[7][2]

Related words

• scotch
• bourbon
• whiskey
• English whisky

Usage notes

The plural is whiskys or, after English, whiskies.^[7][1]

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
5. ^ Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
6. ^ Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
7. ^ a b c Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert