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Where does the word "schnapps" come from? It comes from Low German snappen, passing through German before entering English (1810s).
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Where does the word "schnapps" come from? It comes from Low German snappen, passing through German before entering English (1810s).
Schnapps’s story begins in Low German: snappen meant “to snap.” To snap or gulp. By 1700s, the word had taken hold in German as Schnaps. A dram or gulp of liquor. It reached English by 1810s as schnapps. Borrowed for German and Dutch spirits. Today, schnapps means a strong alcoholic spirit.
- Stage 1 · Low German · medieval snappen "to snap", to snap or gulp.
- Stage 2 · German · 1700s Schnaps "dram", a dram or gulp of liquor.
- Stage 3 · English · 1810s schnapps "spirit", borrowed for German and Dutch spirits.