akvavit

Where does the word "akvavit" come from? It comes from Latin aqua vitae, passing through Scandinavian before entering English (1917).

Akvavit’s story begins in Latin: aqua vitae meant “water of life.” Literally water of life, a term used for distilled spirits. By 1500s, the word had taken hold in Scandinavian as akvavit. Settled in Scandinavian languages for the caraway-flavored distilled spirit. It reached English by 1917 as akvavit. Scandinavian distillers took the alchemists' Latin 'aqua vitae', water of life; Norwegian 'linie' akvavit is aged at sea crossing the equator. Today, akvavit means a Scandinavian distilled spirit, typically flavored with caraway or dill.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · medieval aqua vitae "water of life", literally water of life, a term used for distilled spirits.
2. Stage 2 · Scandinavian · 1500s akvavit "a caraway-flavored distilled spirit", settled in Scandinavian languages for the caraway-flavored distilled spirit.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1917 akvavit "a Scandinavian spirit flavored with caraway or dill", Scandinavian distillers took the alchemists' Latin 'aqua vitae', water of life; Norwegian 'linie' akvavit is aged at sea crossing the equator.