aguardiente

noun

aguar·​di·​en·​te

ˌä-ˌgwär-dē-ˈen-tē,

-ˈdyen-(ˌ)tā

variants or less commonly aguardente

ˌä-ˌgwär-ˈden-tē,

-(ˌ)tā

or aquardiente

ˌä-ˌkwär-dē-ˈen-tē,

-ˈdyen-(ˌ)tā

plural -s

: any of several distilled alcoholic beverages: such as

a

: a coarse brandy made in Spain and Portugal

b

: a liquor that is usually made from sugarcane and is common in South America, Central America, and the southwestern U.S.

Word History

Etymology

Spanish aguardiente, from agua water + ardiente burning, from Latin ardent-, ardens, present participle of ardēre to burn

First Known Use

1752, in the meaning defined above

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