water of life

English

Etymology

Chiefly a calque of Medieval Latin aqua vītae directly and via Scottish Gaelic uisge-beatha and Irish uisce beatha. Compare akvavit, aquavit, aqua vitae, eau de vie, whisky, and whiskey from the same sources. Compare also vodka, whose (borrowed) roots also refer to a special kind of water, as it were.

Noun

water of life (uncountable)

  2. Synonym of aqua vitae, a distilled spirit.
  4. (particularly Ireland, Scotland) Synonym of whisky/whiskey.
  6. (religion, figurative) Spiritual refreshment.
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