aqua vitae
- noun
- /ˈækwə ˈviːteɪ/
- Archaic
:
agua vitae
- In medieval times, doctors prescribed aqua vitae as a cure-all for many ailments.
Examples
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He drank a small glass of aqua vitae to steady his nerves before the speech.
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The historian described aqua vitae as an early form of distilled alcoholic beverage.
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The recipe calls for a splash of aqua vitae.
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In medieval times, aqua vitae was considered a cure-all.
-
The recipe called for a splash of aqua vitae to enhance the flavor of the sauce.
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In medieval times, many believed that aqua vitae had medicinal properties and could cure ailments.
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The monks prepared aqua vitae as a means of preserving their harvests through the winter months.
Synonyms
342
3.2
A strong alcoholic drink made by distilling, like whiskey or vodka
106
2.7
A strong alcoholic drink made from wine or fruit juice and often aged in wood
55
2.5
A strong alcoholic drink made from grains or fruits
2
9.9
A strong Scandinavian alcoholic drink flavored with caraway or dill
Strong alcoholic drinks like brandy, whiskey, or rum
How Strong
Surface Forms
Morphology
aqua + vitae
The literal constituents mean 'water' (aqua) and 'of life' (vitae), so there is a visible metaphorical link ("water of life") but the specific meaning 'a strong distilled spirit' is a conventional, historical sense not directly predictable from those words for an uninformed B1 learner. Cross-linguistic reflexes (e.g. French 'eau-de-vie', Scandinavian 'aquavit') show the phrase has idiomaticized in some languages, so the connection is partial rather than fully transparent.
Etymology
Aqua vitae comes from Latin words aqua ('water') and vitae ('life'); in medieval times monks and early doctors called strong distilled alcohol 'water of life' because they thought it could heal and give strength. So, aqua vitae now means a very strong distilled spirit.