kumis

9.9

A fermented alcoholic drink made from a female horse's milk

noun
/kuːˈmɪs/

: kumis

In Central Asia, kumis is a traditional drink that has been enjoyed for centuries.

Examples

It has to be from that's kumis, that's Central Asian steppes.
The connective tissue of the rush state was slowly fraying, and it is here at this critical junction that our favorite throat singing, kumis drinking horse Archers enter the story.
The nomads enjoyed kumis during their evening celebrations in the steppe.
After a long day of riding, they relaxed with a cup of kumis under the stars.

Synonyms

kvas

vskumis

1 9.1

A cold slightly fizzy drink made from rye bread, popular in Russia

is made from mare's milk and is alcoholic, not a grain-based fermented drink

rakija

vskumis

1 9.9

A strong alcoholic drink from the Balkans made from fruit like plums or grapes

is fermented from mare's milk and not a distilled high-alcohol spirit

koumiss

vskumis

1 9.9

An alcoholic drink from central Asia made by fermenting mare's milk

is the same drink but spelled differently in some sources

laban

vskumis

8.6

A cold drink that people make from yogurt or sour milk, often salted

is alcoholic and made from mare's milk rather than a cold cultured milk beverage

cassiri

vskumis

9.9

A drink like beer made from fermented cassava juice

is made from mare's milk and is alcoholic, not a plant-juice beer style

Surface Forms

kumis singular

kumises plural

Etymology

Kumis comes from Turkic languages like Kazakh and Kyrgyz, where kımız means 'mare's milk'. Nomad people in Central Asia fermented that milk into a fizzy, slightly alcoholic drink, so kumis today still names that traditional beverage.