sliv·o·vitz (sl v  -vts)n. A dry colorless plum brandy. [Serbo-Croatian  ljivovica, from ljiva, plum; see slei- in Indo-European roots.]Word History: Though colorless, slivovitz is a brandy or schnapps made from bluish plums. The Slavic word for plum is sliva, which is related to Latin l  vidus, "bluish, bruise-colored," from which we get livid, a word synonomous with our black-and-blue when used to describe the discoloration caused by a bruise. The Indo-European root *slei-, "bluish," from which the Slavic and the Latin words are descended, has another descendant in English associated with alcohol, sloe, the name of a small sour plum of a dark purplish color. Many who have never seen this type of plum have tasted it in sloe gin, which is flavored with sloes. |
slivovitz [ˈslɪvəvɪts ˈsliːvə-]
n
(Miscellaneous Technologies / Brewing) a plum brandy from E Europe
[from Serbo-Croat šljivovica, from sljiva plum]
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
| Noun | 1. | slivovitz - a colorless plum brandy popular in the Balkans brandy - distilled from wine or fermented fruit juice |
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