malmsey

[ mahm-zee ]

noun

1. a strong, sweet wine with a strong flavor, originally made in Greece but now made mainly in Madeira.

malmsey

/ ˈmɑːmzɪ /

noun

1. a sweet Madeira wine

Word History and Origins

Origin of malmsey¹

1325–75; Middle English malmesye < Middle Low German ≪ Monemvasia Greek town where it was originally produced

Word History and Origins

Origin of malmsey¹

C15: from Medieval Latin Malmasia, corruption of Greek Monembasia, Greek port from which the wine was shipped

Example Sentences

Madeira comes in different levels of sweetness, but you want the sweetest, made with the malmsey grape.

From New York Times

At the high table Sir Ector sat with his knightly guests, who had come for the morrow’s hunting, smiling and nodding and drinking burgundy or sherries sack or malmsey wine.

From Literature

Even the sweeter boal and malmsey wines are not cloying, their sugar balanced by acidity.

From Washington Post

The lawyers in that golden age breakfasted on “brawn and malmsey,” and supped on “venison pasties and roasted hens!”

From Project Gutenberg

The wine of Santorin, the modern representative of the famous “malmsey,” is mainly exported to Russia.

From Project Gutenberg