quaff

English

WOTD – 11 April 2006

Etymology

Attested since the mid 16th century, of uncertain origin. Suggestions include connection with Irish Gaelic cauch (“cup”) (whence Scots quaich, queff). The noun is derived from the verb, since the later 16th century.

Pronunciation

  • (UK) IPA(key): /kwɒf/
  • (US) IPA(key): /kwɑf/, /kwɔf/
  • Audio (US cot-caught merged)(file)
  • Rhymes: -ɒf

Verb

quaff (third-person singular simple present quaffs, present participle quaffing, simple past and past participle quaffed)

  1. To drink or imbibe with vigour or relish; to drink copiously; to swallow in large draughts.
    • Shakespeare
      quaffed off the muscadel
    • Milton
      They eat, they drink, and in communion sweet / Quaff immortality and joy.
    • 1823, Mary Shelley, Valperga
      Sometimes the memory of her peaceful life at Florence obtruded itself upon her, and more than that, her charitable occupations when she attended the sick in that city, and whence, as from a rough-hewn chalice containing nectarian drink, she had quaffed happiness.

Quotations

1594 1667 1845 1852
ME « 15th c. 16th c. 17th c. 18th c. 19th c. 20th c. 21st c.
  • 1594 — Shakespeare, The Taming of the Shrew i 2
    Please ye we may contrive this afternoon, / And quaff carouses to our mistress' health
  • 1667 — John Milton, Paradise Lost Book V
    They eat, they drink, and in communion sweet
    Quaff immortality and joy...
  • 1845 — Edgar Allan Poe, The Raven
    Quaff, oh quaff this kind nepenthe and forget this lost Lenore!
  • 1852 — Nathaniel Hawthorne, Dr. Heidegger's Experiment
    Even while quaffing the third draught of the Fountain of Youth, they were almost awed by the expression of his mysterious visage.
  • 2017 December 21, Gabriel Sherman, ““I Have Power”: Is Steve Bannon Running for President?”, in Vanity Fair‎:
    Bannon was padding around the room in a black blazer over two collared shirts, quaffing a can of Pocari Sweat, a popular Japanese energy drink.

Antonyms

  • (wine terminology): food pairing

Translations

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout#Translations.

Noun

quaff (plural quaffs)

  1. The act of quaffing, a deep draught.
  2. Misspelling of coif.
    • 2013 June 19, Sarah Romanowski, “status update”, in Twitter‎:
      I'm actually gonna miss @sreizis and seeing him and his perfectly groomed quaff everyday in every class.
    • 2014 January 19, Ryan Arciero, “Miley Cyrus new hair: Bowl cut a fresh style for singer, mixed reactions so far”, in Examiner.com‎:
      The Miley Cyrus new hair photos reveal the former Hannah Montana star sporting a bowl cut of sorts that isn’t receiving all good news at this point. Cyrus revealed her new quaff this Tuesday with friends while relaxing outside a local Los Angeles recording studio.

Synonyms

This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.