raki

Where does the word "raki" come from? It comes from Arabic 'araq, passing through Ottoman Turkish before entering English (1610s-20s).

Raki’s story begins in Arabic: 'araq meant “distilled spirit.” Literally "sweat," describing the condensing droplets of distillation. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Ottoman Turkish as raki. Formed from 'araq plus a relational suffix, becoming the generic Ottoman word for distilled spirits. It reached English by 1610s-20s as raki. Entered English describing the anise-flavored national spirit of Turkey and the Balkans. Today, raki means a strong, anise-flavored alcoholic spirit popular in Turkey, Greece, and the Balkans.

1. Stage 1 · Arabic · medieval 'araq "distilled spirit", literally "sweat," describing the condensing droplets of distillation.
2. Stage 2 · Ottoman Turkish · medieval raki "distilled spirit", formed from 'araq plus a relational suffix, becoming the generic Ottoman word for distilled spirits.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1610s-20s raki "anise-flavored spirit", entered English describing the anise-flavored national spirit of Turkey and the Balkans.