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proof spirit

noun

  1. an alcoholic liquor, or mixture of alcohol and water, containing a standard amount of alcohol. In the U.S. proof spirit has a specific gravity of .93353 (containing one half of its volume of alcohol of a specific gravity of .7939 at 60° F). In Britain proof spirit has a specific gravity of .91984.


proof spirit

noun

  1. (in Britain and Canada) a mixture of alcohol and water or an alcoholic beverage that contains 49.28 per cent of alcohol by weight, 57.1 per cent by volume at 51°F: up until 1980 used as a standard of alcoholic liquids
  2. (in the US) a similar standard mixture containing 50 per cent of alcohol by volume at 60°F
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Word History and Origins

Origin of proof spirit1

First recorded in 1735–45
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Example Sentences

Thousands of bottles of the 80 proof spirit were broken and strewn across the highway and in a nearby ditch.

What is known as “proof spirit” is obtained by mixing nearly equal weights of pure alcohol and water, the quantity of pure alcohol being in bulk about 57% of the whole.

Steep it in brandy or proof spirit, for a fortnight, shaking it each day.

When just enough alcohol was present to set fire to the powder, it was said to be “proof spirit.”

The chief engineer of the ship prepared a number of bottles with proof spirit, in which a lot of these scorpions and centipedes were preserved, and which were secured by passengers curious in such matters.

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