vinous means pertaining to or having the characteristics of wine. It carries an Arena rating of 1564, earned across 8 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, vinous ranks #1,120 of 17,126 for Most Elegant Words, #4,263 of 17,127 for Most Vivid Words, #4,405 of 17,130 for Most Beautiful Words, #5,426 of 17,134 for Most Malleable Words.
vinous is pronounced /ˈvaɪnəs/.
Why “vinous” is a great word
Having the qualities of, being reminiscent of, or pertaining to wine in its sensory or spiritual character. From Late Middle English vinous, vinose, from Latin vīnōsus ("fond of wine; wine-flavored"), from vīnum ("wine") + -ōsus (adjective-forming suffix meaning 'full of, prone to'). Unlike vinaceous, which specifies a precise wine-red hue, or oenological, which confines itself to the science of the cellar, vinous is a more expansive and sentient adjective. It is the deep, translucent garnet in the glass, the warm and tannic breath of an opened bottle, the gentle, spreading glow behind the eyes after a first sip—a word not for the analysis of wine, but for its lived and felt experience, like sunlight held in liquid form.
Etymology
From Late Middle English vinous, vinose (“consisting of, containing, or made of wine”), from Latin vīnōsus (“fond of wine; wine-flavoured”), from vīnum (“wine”) + -ōsus (adjective-forming suffix meaning ‘full of, prone to’).
adj
- Pertaining to or having the characteristics of wine.
- Pertaining to or having the characteristics of wine.; Involving the use of wine.e.g.“The bride, in passing down stairs, dressed for her journey, found Tom waiting for her—flushed, either with his feelings, or the vinous part of the breakfast.” — 1854, Charles Dickens, “Husband and Wife”, in Hard Times. For These Times, London: Bradbury & Evans, […], →OCLC, 1st book (Sowing), pages 127–128:
- Pertaining to or having the characteristics of wine.; Having the colour of red wine.e.g.“Near-synonyms: winelike, wine-dark, wine-blue”
- Tending to drink wine excessively.e.g.“Yet fat and vinous old Jack Falstaff, whose portraiture is the happiest hit in all the varied range of English comedy, must be sought for in other scenes.” — 1869, William Francis Collier, “William Shakspere”, in A History of English Literature, in a Series of Biographical Sketches, London; Edinburgh, New York, N.Y.: T[homas] Nelson and Sons, […], →OCLC, p
- Affected by the drinking of wine.e.g.“The vinous Greek to whom he had address'd / His question, much too merry to divine / The questioner, fill'd up a glass of wine, […]” — 1821 August 8, [Lord Byron], Don Juan, Cantos III, IV, and V, London: […] Thomas Davison, […], →OCLC, canto III, stanza XLII, page 24:
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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