Plural of whisky; strong alcoholic drinks distilled from grain or other fermented materials, typically from Scotland, Ireland, or other regions.
From Scottish Gaelic 'uisce beatha' meaning 'water of life,' which was abbreviated to 'usky' then anglicized to 'whisky.' The word entered English in the 17th century when Scottish distillers began producing this spirit commercially.
The term 'water of life' appears in multiple languages for strong spirits—Dutch 'jenever,' Scandinavian 'akvavit,' and French 'eau de vie' all share this poetic root, suggesting ancient peoples saw distilled alcohol as almost medicinal or transcendent.
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