quaff

WOTD – 11 April 2006    

English

Etymology

Attested since the mid 16th century, of uncertain origin. Suggestions include connection with Irish Gaelic cauch (“cup”) (whence Scots quaich, queff). The noun is derived from the verb, since the later 16th century.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA: /kwɒf/, X-SAMPA: /kwQf/
• (US) IPA: /kwɑf/, /kwɔf/, X-SAMPA: /kwAf/, /kwOf/

• Audio (US cot-caught merged)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɒf

Verb

quaff (third-person singular simple present quaffs, present participle quaffing, simple past and past participle quaffed)

1. To drink or imbibe, especially with vigour.

Quotations

		1594	1667		1845 1852
ME «	15th c.	16th c.	17th c.	18th c.	19th c.	20th c.	21st c.

• 1594 — Shakespeare, The Taming of the Shrew i 2

  Please ye we may contrive this afternoon, / And quaff carouses to our mistress' health

• 1667 — John Milton, Paradise Lost Book V

  They eat, they drink, and in communion sweet

  Quaff immortality and joy...

• 1845 — Edgar Allan Poe, The Raven

  Quaff, oh quaff this kind nepenthe and forget this lost Lenore!

• 1852 — Nathaniel Hawthorne, Dr. Heidegger's Experiment

  Even while quaffing the third draught of the Fountain of Youth, they were almost awed by the expression of his mysterious visage.

Antonyms

• (wine terminology): food pairing

Translations

to drink or imbibe

• Macedonian: голта (mk) (gólta)

to sip a wine for itself

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.

Translations to be checked

• Arabic: يتجرع
• French: boire cul sec

• Italian: sbevazzare
• Portuguese: libar
• Spanish: libar

Noun

quaff (plural quaffs)

1. The act of quaffing, a deep draught.

Synonyms

• chug
• gulp
• swig
• See also Wikisaurus:drink