snifter

[ snif-ter ]

noun

1. Also called inhaler. a pear-shaped glass, narrowing at the top to intensify the aroma of brandy, liqueur, etc.
2. Informal. a very small drink of liquor.

snifter

/ ˈsnɪftə /

noun

1. a pear-shaped glass with a short stem and a bowl that narrows towards the top so that the aroma of brandy or a liqueur is retained
2. informal.
   a small quantity of alcoholic drink

Word History and Origins

Origin of snifter¹

1840–50; derivative of snifter to sniff, snivel, Middle English snyfter; imitative

Word History and Origins

Origin of snifter¹

C19: perhaps from dialect snifter to sniff, perhaps of Scandinavian origin; compare Danish snifta (obsolete) to sniff

Example Sentences

But in the 1980s and 1990s, the brandy snifter photo was an innovative, attainable luxury, and it became ubiquitous in some communities.

From New York Times

Of Ports, her most beloved Hollywood restaurant, which closed in 1992, she notes a brand of mineral water “served in brandy snifters with lots of ice and a slice of lime.”

From Los Angeles Times

It’s easier to take it all in if you’ve already secured a cocktail, especially one of the gin-and-tonics, served in stemless snifters and given aromatic emphasis by things like coriander seeds and lime leaves.

From New York Times

The shell, apparently, had acted as a brandy snifter, gathering and concentrating the vapors until they were so pungent I felt nauseated just to breathe them.

From Literature

“The only impression the celebrated folk singer had made was a nasty ring from his brandy snifter on the MacLeish’s 1785 cherry table,” Ostrow wrote.

From New York Times

Related Words

• bottle
• cup
• jar
• jug