whiskey

Where does the word "whiskey" come from? It comes from Old Irish uisce beatha, passing through Scottish Gaelic before entering English (1700s).

Whiskey’s story begins in Old Irish: uisce beatha meant “water of life.” Literally "water of life", describing distilled spirits. By 1400s, the word had taken hold in Scottish Gaelic as uisge beatha. The same phrase used for Highland distilled spirits. It reached English by 1700s as whisky. Clipped from the Gaelic phrase and anglicized. Today, whiskey means a distilled alcoholic spirit made from fermented grain mash.

1. Stage 1 · Old Irish · medieval uisce beatha "water of life", literally "water of life", describing distilled spirits.
2. Stage 2 · Scottish Gaelic · 1400s uisge beatha "water of life, distilled spirit", the same phrase used for Highland distilled spirits.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1700s whisky "a distilled grain spirit", clipped from the Gaelic phrase and anglicized.