Uisge

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An Irish term for water, particularly in the context of whisky or as a synonym for a potent alcoholic beverage
2. Referring to a distinct spirit made from fermented grain mash, particularly in Scotland and Ireland
3. Denoting a historical or cultural representation of water in folklore, often associated with the mystical qualities of spirits and drinks

Etymology: "Uisge" is the everyday Gaelic word for water, and it survives in the name of whisky. The full phrase, "uisce beatha" in Irish and "uisge beatha" in Scottish Gaelic, means "water of life." It translates the Latin "aqua vitae," the name European distillers gave their spirits, which were thought to have restorative powers. English took the phrase in the form "usquebaugh" by the early 1700s. Over the following decades it was worn down through forms like "usky" to "whisky," which was in use by the mid-1700s. A clipped "uisge" for a strong drink is a shortening of that same phrase, so the drink's name keeps the word for water while dropping the word "beatha" that made the meaning clear.

Synonyms: water