whisky
WIS-kee · noun
Origin
Whisky is a clipped form of usque, itself an abbreviation of usquebaugh, borrowed from Scottish Gaelic uisge-beatha, meaning "water of life." That Gaelic phrase was a calque of the Medieval Latin aqua vitae, the same idea rendered in a different tongue.
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Journey
The long Gaelic phrase uisge-beatha was gradually worn down by English speakers into usquebaugh, then usque, and finally whisky — each stage shedding syllables until only a small, everyday word remained.
Related words
It shares its root idea with akvavit, aquavit, aqua vitae, and eau de vie — all different languages' ways of calling strong drink "water of life."
More words
From Scottish Gaelic