arrack

American  

[ar-uhk, uh-rak] / ˈær ək, əˈræk /

Or arak

noun

1. any of various spirituous liquors distilled in the East Indies and other parts of the East and Middle East from the fermented sap of toddy palms, or from fermented molasses, rice, or other materials.

---

arrack British  

/ ˈærək /

noun

1. a coarse spirit distilled in various Eastern countries from grain, rice, sugar cane, etc

---

Etymology

Origin of arrack

1595–1605; < Arabic ʿaraq literally, sweat, juice; see raki

Example Sentences

He planned to focus on the city’s cosmopolitan night life, nibbling kibbe, drinking arrack, and taking in the vibe at beachside night clubs.

From The New Yorker • Feb. 5, 2017

Most of them, made supine by arrack cocktails and the prevailing air of lassitude, spent the day just slumbering and perspiring in the shade of flowering frangipani trees.

From Washington Post • Dec. 8, 2016

By the turn of the 18 century, fish sauce and arrack had become as profitable for British merchants as they were for Chinese traders.

From Slate • May 30, 2012

When Dutch and British merchants came to Southeast Asia around 1600 seeking spices, textiles, and porcelain, they quickly began to buy immense quantities of arrack from the Chinese.

From Slate • May 30, 2012

The197 governor sent a boat full of arrack and sixty bales of sugar, and received in return a present of a table clock, and a gold watch for his daughter.

From The Monarchs of the Main, Volume III (of 3) Or, Adventures of the Buccaneers by Thornbury, Walter