eau de vie
UK /ˌəʊ.dəˈviː/ · US /ˌoʊ.dəˈviː/ noun
Forms eau de vies eaus de vie eaux de vie eau-de-vie
- noun Synonym of brandy.
- noun Synonym of aqua vitae, similar distilled spirits, especially French ones.
Synonyms
Etymology
From French eau-de-vie (“water of life”), calque of Medieval Latin aqua vītae. Compare akvavit, aquavit, aqua vitae, whisky, whiskey, and water of life from the same source.
Webster’s 1913
Etymology [F., water of life; eau (L. aqua) water + de of + vie (L. vita) life.]
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “eau de vie”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details