absinthe means the herb absinthium Artemisia absinthium (grande wormwood); essence of wormwood.
absinthe is pronounced /ˈæb.sɪnθ/.
Why “absinthe” is a great word
A distilled, highly alcoholic, anise-flavored liquor originally made from grande wormwood, anise, and other herbs. From Middle English absinthe, from Middle French absinthe, from Latin absinthium, from Ancient Greek ἀψίνθιον (apsínthion, 'wormwood'). Unlike pastis, a milder, wormwood-free descendant born of prohibition, or vermouth, an aromatized wine where wormwood is but a whisper, absinthe is the potent, original article—a spirit defined by its verdant, bitter heart. It is the louche, opalescent cloud in a glass of iced water, the metallic scent of crushed herbs on a copper spoon, and the lingering, medicinal coolness on the tongue—the taste of a forbidden, green-tinted hour.
Etymology
* (wormwood; figuratively bitterness, sorrow): From Middle English absinthe.
* (liquor): From Modern French absinthe.
Both from Middle French absinthe, from Latin absinthium, from Ancient Greek ἀψίνθιον (apsínthion, “wormwood”). Doublet of absinthium.
noun
- The herb absinthium Artemisia absinthium (grande wormwood); essence of wormwood.
- Bitterness; sorrow.
- A distilled, highly alcoholic, anise-flavored liquor originally made from grande wormwood, anise, and other herbs.“Let us go out and drink to the very good health of Monsieur Tarzan in some of old Plancon’s unparalleled absinth; not forgetting that the Count de Coude is one of the best swordsmen in Paris, and by far the best shot in all France.”
- A moderate yellow green.
- A moderate yellow green.
absinthe green:; absinthe green
- Sagebrush.
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.