Ciders

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A fermented beverage made from the juice of apples or other fruits, typically alcoholic and often served chilled
2. A drink produced through the fermentation of fruit juice, primarily apples, that can be still or sparkling
3. A variable beverage enjoyed for its refreshing flavor and can be sweet, dry, or a mix, made by fermenting fruit extracts

Etymology: "Ciders" is simply the plural of "cider," so the story belongs to the singular. The most surprising thing about "cider" is that it began as a Hebrew word for strong drink. The Hebrew "šēḵār" meant "liquor," and it passed into Ancient Greek as "síkera," meaning fermented liquor or strong drink. Greek speakers borrowed it from a Semitic language, and the word then travelled through Medieval Latin as "sīcera" before reaching Old French as "sidre," a drink made from fermented apples. English took the word from Old French in the Middle Ages, first as "sider" and later as "cider." Its close relative "cyser," a drink of honey and apple, is a doublet, meaning the two came down from the same source by different routes. Before "cider" took over, English speakers had used the phrase "apple wine," which "cider" partly displaced.

Synonyms: apple juice, hard cider