Vinegar

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈvɪnəɡə/

Definitions

1. A sour liquid made from fermented alcohol, commonly used in cooking and food preservation
2. A tart liquid produced through the fermentation of ethanol, often utilized in culinary practices and as a preservative agent
3. This acidic solution derived from the fermentation of alcoholic substances frequently serves as a condiment and a means of food preservation

Etymology: The most striking fact here is that "vinegar" is literally "sour wine." It comes from Old French "vyn egre," combining "vin" (wine) with "egre" (sharp or sour), and the French was itself built on Latin "vīnum" (wine) and "ācer" (sour, sharp). The Latin "ācer" is the same root that gives English "acid" and "acrid," so the word carries its sourness in its very bones. English once had its own word for this liquid, "æċed," which survived into Middle English as "eced." The French compound pushed it aside, and the new form arrived in Middle English as "vynegre" before settling into the spelling used today. The change tells a small story of how a word for an everyday kitchen product came from wine that had turned.

Synonyms: sour wine, acidic liquid