absinthe

American  

[ab-sinth] / ˈæb sɪnθ /

Or absinth

noun

1. a green, aromatic liqueur that is 68 percent alcohol, is made with wormwood and other herbs, and has a bitter, licorice flavor.

2. wormwood.

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absinthe British  

/ ˈæbsɪnθ /

noun

1. a potent green alcoholic drink, technically a gin, originally having high wormwood content

2. another name for wormwood

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Other Word Forms

• absinthial adjective
• absinthian adjective

Etymology

Origin of absinthe

1605–15; < French < Latin absinthium wormwood < Greek apsínthion

Example Sentences

A producer of Armagnac bought a cache of family recipes from a distiller of pastis and absinthe in 2003, and now makes one of the better imported versions of both.

From Salon • Jan. 2, 2022

“There’s something glamorous about it, there’s something alluring but also poisonous,” Mr. Toor said, laughing, before going on to say that it could evoke snakes, poison gas and absinthe.

From New York Times • Mar. 11, 2020

Baz Luhrmann's 2001 jukebox musical was the film equivalent of absinthe, mind-alteringly great for some, queasily awful for others.

From BBC • Jul. 26, 2019

These days, the books are stashed in a closet, and the visible artifacts in the apartment are homages to anime, absinthe, bodybuilding, and John Waters.

From The New Yorker • Nov. 20, 2018

Isobel hesitates, glancing around at the clientele, a mostly bohemian crowd sipping absinthe and arguing about art.

From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern