AQUAVITAE

Aqua vitae

Aqua vitae or aqua vita is an archaic name for a concentrated aqueous solution of ethanol. The term was in wide use during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, although its origin is undoubtedly much earlier, having been used by Saint Patrick and his fellow monks to refer to both the alcohol and the waters of baptism. This Latin term appears in a wide array of dialectical forms throughout all lands and people conquered by ancient Rome. Generally, the term is a generic name for all types of distillates, and eventually came to refer specifically to distillates of alcoholic beverages and liquors.

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aqua vitae

Noun

  1. An aqueous solution of alcohol typically prepared by distilling wine.
  2. A concentrated aqueous solution of ethanol.
  3. French brandy / cognac.


The above text is a snippet from Wiktionary: aqua vitae
and as such is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

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