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Today it means

kirsch

a brandy distilled from cherries

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Where does the word "kirsch" come from? It comes from German Kirschwasser, and was adopted directly into English (1810s).

Read the full story

Where does the word "kirsch" come from? It comes from German Kirschwasser, and was adopted directly into English (1810s).

Kirsch’s story begins in German: Kirschwasser meant “cherry brandy.” 'cherry water', a speciality of the Black Forest. It reached English by 1810s as kirsch. Shortened from 'kirschwasser'. Today, kirsch means a brandy distilled from cherries.

  1. Stage 1 · German · 1700s Kirschwasser "cherry brandy", 'cherry water', a speciality of the Black Forest.
  2. Stage 2 · English · 1810s kirsch "cherry brandy", shortened from 'kirschwasser'.

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