Cognacs

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A type of high-quality brandy produced from fermented grape juice, known for its distinctive flavors and aromas
2. A specific variety of distilled spirit made in the Cognac region of France, often enjoyed neat or in cocktails
3. A luxurious alcoholic beverage that is aged in wooden barrels, offering a rich and complex taste experience

Etymology: "Cognacs" is simply the plural of "cognac," so the real story belongs to the town. Cognac is a small city in western France, on the River Charente, and its name goes back to Roman times. Medieval Latin records it as "Comniacum," which derives from the personal name Cominius plus the Gallo-Roman suffix "-acum," meaning something like "estate of Cominius." The suffix is Celtic in origin, traceable to a Proto-Celtic form, so a Roman landowner's name was grafted onto a local Gaulish-speaking landscape. The spirit took its name from the place where it was made and traded. "Cognac" entered English from French, and the brandy it names is distilled from wine grown in the surrounding region and aged in oak casks. The plural "cognacs" refers to different bottlings or producers of that brandy, as in a tasting of several French grape brandies.

Synonyms: brandy