Eggnogs

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A traditional holiday beverage made from milk, cream, sugar, and eggs, often spiced with nutmeg and served chilled or warm
2. A rich, creamy drink that typically contains beaten eggs, sugar, and milk, frequently enhanced with flavorings like vanilla or alcohol
3. A festive drink commonly associated with winter celebrations, involving a mixture of dairy, egg yolks, and spices, sometimes infused with spirits like rum or bourbon

Etymology: Drinks like eggnog are much older than the name. A medieval posset, a warm mix of milk, eggs and spiced ale or wine, was already a monastic Christmas favourite in Europe, and the word "eggnog" itself only appears in America around 1775. The first element is simple: "egg." The second is the real puzzle, and nobody has settled it. Several explanations have been proposed. One ties "nog" to a Norfolk dialect word for strong ale. Another suggests it is a clipping of "noggin," a small carved wooden mug used for serving liquor, so that the drink would have been named after its vessel. A third proposes a link to "grog," the rum-and-water mixture, though the sound change needed to get from one to the other is difficult to justify. Because the second element stays uncertain, "eggnogs" is simply the ordinary plural of the noun, with the final "s" added in the usual way. The plural is used when speaking of several servings or several kinds of the drink.

Synonyms: eggnog