April 30, 1999

whisk(e)y

I am curious about the origins of the word "whiskey." Is it related to the verb "whisk"?

No, it's much better than that.

The word whisk(e)y is, not surprising given its origins, derived from Irish or Scottish Gaelic. The word is short for whiskybae, an Anglicization of Irish uisce beatha or Scottish Gaelic uisge beatha, both meaning literally 'water of life'.

The Celtic words are both ultimately translations of Medieval Latin acqua vitae 'water of life'. Words referring to spirits that are based on words meaning 'water' are common; vodka is from Russian vódka, from vodá 'water' and the -ka noun suffix, and the name of the Scandinavian liquor acquavit (variously spelled) is derived from the Latin acqua vitae. This shows that the semantic development is common and widespread, and should counter the misleading statement, occasionally heard, that "'whiskey' is the Irish word for water."

The word in its current form dates from the early eighteenth century. Usquebaugh, a Scottish or Irish English spelling, dates to the sixteenth and is still in use to refer to whisk(e)y in Scotland and Ireland.

The two spellings of the word, whiskey and whisky, often generate questions. Most dictionaries give whiskey as the preferred form, but there is a distinction: In Scotland and Canada, whisky (plural whiskies) is the usual spelling, and in most of the rest of the world, whiskey (plural whiskeys) is usual. Thus, if you are talking about Scotch, use whisky.

The word whisk dates from the fourteenth century. It is ultimately of Scandinavian origin, and is related to wisp and wipe.