snifter
UK /ˈsnɪftə/ · US /ˈsnɪftəɹ/ verb, noun
Forms snifters sniftering sniftered
- verb (intransitive) To sniff; also, to snivel or snuffle.
- verb (transitive, archaic, rare) Followed by out: to speak (words) in a nasal, snuffling manner.
- noun (chiefly Northern England, Scotland) A sniff.
- noun (chiefly Northern England, Scotland) A strong or severe wind.
- noun (originally and chiefly US) A small, wide, pear-shaped glass used for drinking aromatic liquors such as bourbon and brandy.
- noun (originally US, informal) Synonym of nip (“a small amount of an alcoholic beverage, especially one equivalent to what a snifter (noun sense 2.2) might hold”)
- noun (US, slang) Synonym of cocaine addict; a sniffer.
- noun (US, slang) A small amount of cocaine taken by inhaling through the nose.
- noun (US, slang) A handheld device used to detect signals from radio transmitters; a sniffer.
Synonyms
brandy bowl brandy glass brandy snifter cognac glass whiskey glass nip cocaine addict
Etymology
The verb is derived from Middle English snifteren, snifter, snyfter (“to sniffle”), possibly from *snift (possibly derived from an Old Norse word—compare Old Danish snifte and Swedish snyfta (“to sniffle; to sob”); probably ultimately imitative) + -er- (frequentative suffix) + -en (suffix forming the infinitive of verbs).
The noun is derived from the verb.
Sources: Wiktionary — from the Wiktionary entry “snifter”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details