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mulled cider

mulled cider

1 3.6
A hot drink made by warming sweet apple juice with spices and orange slices
  • noun
  • /mʌld ˈsaɪdər/
translation icon : sidra especiada
  • To celebrate the season, she prepared a big pot of mulled cider for her friends, adding nutmeg and star anise for flavor.
  • hot mulled cider
  • enjoy mulled cider

Examples

  • I haven't had hot mulled cider in a while, but a long time ago I was at a Christmas market in Germany and it was freezing.

    Blog text (24)
  • We're going to our friends' annual fall party (complete with mulled cider) and also taking Toby to visit our neighborhood firetrucks.

    Blog text (28)
  • "He bore them on, chattering, and thrust thick ceramic mugs of hot mulled cider into their hands.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • I enjoyed Walter's coffee, May's brownies, and Malcolm's mulled cider.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • Sip a mug of hot mulled cider, munch a cookie, and choose the perfect locally made ornament to decorate your tree.

    Blog text (10)
  • It was a bit raw around here last night (40 degrees and misting), so I decided to add a splash of bourbon to the travel mug of hot mulled cider.

    Blog text (24)
  • On cold winter nights, nothing is better than sipping a warm cup of mulled cider spiced with cinnamon and cloves.

  • At the holiday party, guests gathered around the fire, holding their mugs of mulled cider filled with orange slices.

How Spiced

mulled cider
1 3.6
cider
76 1.5

Surface Forms

mulled cider singular
mulled ciders plural

Morphology

mulled + cider

The meaning is directly and compositionally derived from 'mulled' (heated and flavored with spices) combined with 'cider' (an apple beverage), yielding a hot spiced apple drink. This modifier+noun pattern (e.g., mulled wine) is common in English and across languages, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the meaning.

Etymology

Mulled cider gets its name from the word mulled, which means 'heated and spiced', and cider, the juice from apples. So mulled cider is literally apple juice warmed with spices, which is why the phrase means a warm, spiced apple drink enjoyed in cold weather.