Bourbon

[ boor-buhn, bawr-, bohr-or, French, boor-bawn bur-buhn ]

noun

1. a member of a French royal family that ruled in France 1589–1792, Spain 1700–1931, and Naples 1735–1806, 1815–60.
2. Charles [sh, a, r, l], Constable de Bourbon, 1490–1527, French general.
3. a person who is extremely conservative or reactionary.
4. (lowercase) Also called bourbon whiskey. a straight whiskey distilled from a mash having 51 percent or more corn: originally the corn whiskey produced in Bourbon County, Kentucky.

bourbon

¹

/ ˈbɜːbən /

noun

1. a whiskey distilled, chiefly in the US, from maize, esp one containing at least 51 per cent maize (the rest being malt and rye) and aged in charred white-oak barrels

Bourbon

²

/ burbɔ̃; ˈbʊəbən /

noun

1. 1. a member of the European royal line that ruled in France from 1589 to 1793 (when Louis XVI was executed by the revolutionaries) and was restored in 1815, continuing to rule in its Orleans branch from 1830 until 1848. Bourbon dynasties also ruled in Spain (1700–1808; 1813–1931) and Naples and Sicily (1734–1806; 1815–1860)
   2. ( as modifier )

      the Bourbon kings

Word History and Origins

Origin of Bourbon¹

C19: named after Bourbon county, Kentucky, where it was first made

Example Sentences

Dressed in 7-inch neon heels and translucent yellow bell-bottoms, Mary Serritella was defying gravity and expectations on a recent Wednesday night at Hollywood’s Bourbon Room.

From Los Angeles Times

Bourbon and sweet tea enhanced with a little citrus; you would be hard pressed to find a cocktail more satisfying.

From Salon

Brown guy humor ruled Wednesday at the “Asif Ali + Friends” show in Hollywood’s Bourbon Room.

From Los Angeles Times

Earlier in the week, he admitted he was planning a quick visit to Bourbon Street in the city’s iconic French Quarter, but as of Friday that had not occurred.

From Seattle Times

They also found that the Typica variety, an early Dutch cultivar originating from either India or Sri Lanka, is likely the parent of the Bourbon variety, principally cultivated by the French.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• alcohol
• drink
• liquor
• spirits