hooch

Where does the word "hooch" come from? It comes from Tlingit Hoochinoo, and was adopted directly into English (1890s).

Hooch’s story begins in Tlingit: Hoochinoo meant “name of a Tlingit clan/village.” The name of a Tlingit village and clan in Alaska known for distilling liquor. It reached English by 1890s as hooch. Shortened by American prospectors during the Klondike Gold Rush to mean the liquor itself. Today, hooch means informal term for alcoholic liquor, especially homemade or illegally distilled spirits.

1. Stage 1 · Tlingit · 1800s Hoochinoo "name of a Tlingit clan/village", the name of a Tlingit village and clan in Alaska known for distilling liquor.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1890s hooch "homemade or illicit alcoholic liquor", shortened by American prospectors during the Klondike Gold Rush to mean the liquor itself.