Plural of arrack; strong alcoholic drinks distilled in India and other parts of Asia, often made from coconut or grain.
From Arabic 'arak' meaning 'perspiration' or 'juice', referring to the distilled essence. The word entered English through colonial trade with India and Southeast Asia in the 17th century.
Arrack appears in colonial trading records as a luxury import to Europe, and it became so associated with British sailors and traders that it eventually inspired the word 'grog'—the famous naval rum drink—because sailors would sometimes use arrack as their spirit of choice.
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