hard liquor

English

Etymology

Clarification of the intended sense of liquor, which originally had a wider sense of application to many liquids and remains polysemous regarding distilled alcoholic drinks versus nondistilled ones (such as beer and wine).

Noun

hard liquor (countable and uncountable, plural hard liquors)

  2. Synonym of liquor (strict sense): a beverage that has been distilled to give it a high alcohol content (high proof, high ABV).
    Synonyms: spirits, hard drink, strong drink, booze (narrow sense), aqua vitae, water of life
    Hypernyms: liquor (broad sense), booze (broad sense), adult beverage, drink (narrow sense) < beverage, drink (broad sense)
    Coordinate terms: malt liquor, beer, ale, wine, wine cooler; soft drink
    Various hard liquors have become cultural touchstones, as bourbon in Kentucky, vodka in Russia, and baijiu in China.

See also

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