spirits of wine

noun

1. alcohol ( def 1 ).

spirits of wine

noun

1. functioning as singular or plural another name for alcohol

Word History and Origins

Origin of spirits of wine¹

First recorded in 1745–55

Example Sentences

“It is almost seventy years old and preserved in spirits of wine. I am afraid it will disintegrate if we remove it.”

From Literature

The fuel used consisted exclusively of spirits of wine, the cocoa, or pemmican soup, being cooked in an iron pot over a shallow lamp with seven wicks.

From Project Gutenberg

What a panic seized me," he says himself, "when I saw the water under me like blue flames of burning spirits of wine!

From Project Gutenberg

To remedy this evil, spirits of wine are furnished to keepers, but does not wholly remove the difficulty.

From Project Gutenberg

The timber is used for making bedsteads, &c., while from the roots a dark transparent gum may be procured, which, when dissolved with spirits of wine, forms an excellent varnish.

From Project Gutenberg