Clarets

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A type of red wine, typically characterized by a light texture and often produced in Bordeaux, France
2. A dark red hue associated with wine, often used to describe the color of certain garments or items
3. A name for specific wines from Bordeaux that are generally enjoyed young and have fruit-forward flavors

Etymology: "Clarets" is simply the plural of "claret", so the story belongs to the singular. The name comes from Medieval Latin "clārātum vīnum", literally "clarified wine", from Latin "clārus", meaning "clear" or "bright". The reference is to the pale, clear appearance of the wine, which was lighter than the dark reds many medieval drinkers knew. The Latin phrase passed into Old French as "clairet", a light-coloured wine, and in Middle French the form "claret" appeared, which English borrowed in the Middle English period. The surprise is that the modern meaning is not the original one. Medieval "claret" referred to a pale, light wine, but in English the name came to mean the deep red wines of Bordeaux, which are darker than the original sense suggests. The word thus describes a colour the wine no longer really had, a reversal that comes from the wine trade shifting its styles over the centuries.

Synonyms: red wines, burgundies