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Pisco

3 stages from Quechua to English.

Today it means a clear grape brandy produced in Peru and Chile, traditionally used in the pisco sour cocktail

Where does the word "pisco" come from? It comes from Quechua pisqu, passing through Spanish before entering English (1900s).

1
Stage 1 of 3
pisqu
Quechua · pre-1500s
"bird"
meant 'bird', later becoming the name of a Peruvian valley and its potter inhabitants
2
Stage 2 of 3
Pisco
Spanish · 1500s-1600s
"a port city in Peru; later the brandy exported from it"
became the name of the Peruvian port town where the grape brandy was shipped from
3
Stage 3 of 3
pisco
English · 1900s
"a clear grape brandy distilled in Peru and Chile"
borrowed into English to name the South American grape brandy
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