Quaffs

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To drink a liquid, especially an alcoholic one, quickly and with enthusiasm
2. To consume a beverage eagerly in large mouthfuls, often enjoying it thoroughly
3. To gulp down a drink in a hearty and swift manner, typically showing pleasure in drinking

Etymology: "Quaffs" is simply the third-person singular present of "quaff," so the real question is where "quaff" came from, and the answer is unsettled. Its origin is uncertain, and the leading suggestion ties it to Old Irish "cuäch," meaning cup, goblet, or large vessel. That Irish word survives in Scots as "quaich" (a shallow drinking cup) and "queff," which hints at a drinking-vessel root that may have turned into a verb for drinking from one. The proposed link runs in an unexpected direction: the noun is considered to have been derived from the verb, not the other way round. If that is right, the cup is named after the act of drinking, rather than the drinking named after the cup. Because the connection remains a suggestion rather than a proven pathway, the word's ancestry is best described as a plausible hypothesis instead of settled fact.

Synonyms: drinks, gulps, sips

Antonyms: spills