orgeat

English

Etymology

From French orgeat, derived from orge (“barley”), from Latin hordeum.

Doublet of horchata and orzo. Cognate to Surinamese Dutch orgeade.

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈɔrʒɑːt/, /ɔrˈʒɑː/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈɔːdʒɪət/

Noun

orgeat (countable and uncountable, plural orgeats)

1. A sweet syrup made from sugar and almonds (or originally barley) and rose water or orange-flower water.
   • 1961, Harry E. Wedeck, Dictionary of Aphrodisiacs, New York: The Citadel Press, page 204:

     Syrup of orgeat was a cooling potion, originally made from barley, later, from almonds, and orange-flower water.

   • 2012 June 24, “Winetini Sundays”, in Oregon Wine Press‎^[1], archived from the original on 16 October 2025:

     Stop by after brunch downtown and enjoy $2 off our winetinis--passionfruit, mango, guava and pineapple. Don't forget about our maitini, made with real rock candy and almond orgeat syrup. Ah, Sundays never tasted so good!

   • 2023 March 31, Gillian G. Gaar, “Bar Hopping Hawaiian Style”, in WineAndWhiskeyGlobe.com‎^[2], archived from the original on 23 October 2025:

     He’s right in my case. My favorite drink at L’Aperitif has been the Miss Bonde, a raspberry-infused vodka “caressed with champagne.” On my most recent trip, I also experienced the “Mai Tini,” a mai tai served in a martini glass. L’Aperitif has a different mai tai recipe from House Without A Key, using lemon juice with a squeeze of lime, a mai mix of simple syrup, orgeat, triple sec, and rum; no dark rum, as there isn’t a float. And shaken with ice but not served with it, save for a single cube emblazoned with Halekulani’s logo (the Cattleya orchid). Kawaiaea notes that the lemon juice, which gives this mai tai a zestier flavor, was in Halekulani’s original recipe for the drink. But he draws the line at other juices. “We’ve made mai tais, and guests will come in and say, ‘Oh, can you add pineapple juice?’ No, that’s not a mai tai!”

Translations

Translations

• Dutch: orgeade (nl)
• Greek: σουμάδα (el) f (soumáda)
• Maltese: ruġġata f
• Polish: orszada (pl) f
• Russian: оршад (ru) (oršad)

References

• “orgeat”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.

Anagrams

• toerag, Ortega, Goater, toe rag, Argote, Tagore, toe-rag, gear to, garote, ergato-, OR gate

French

Etymology

From orge +‎ -at, orge from Latin hordeum (“barley”). Orgeat was originally a barley derivative. Cf. Spanish horchata.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɔʁ.ʒa/

• Audio (France (Lyon)):

  (file)

Noun

orgeat m (plural orgeats)

1. orgeat
2. a drink made of orgeat syrup, diluted with water

   Synonym: sirop d'orgeat

Further reading

• “orgeat”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012