Dictionary

ardent spirits en · NOUN

First attested 1471, from its inflammability; see etymology section of ardent.

(plural, plural-only) Distilled alcoholic liquor such as whiskey, brandy, or vodka; especially, strong variants thereof (higher-proof versions).
- "Even then I realized the possibilities of my suburb, that hotbed of revolution in which heroes, inventors, and practical men of science, rogues and scoundrels, virtues and vices, were all packed together by poverty, stifled by necessity, drowned in drink, and consumed by ardent spirits." 1837, et al, Honoré de Balzac, translated by Clara Bell, Facino Cane:
- Near-synonyms: hard liquor, liquor (narrow sense), strong drink (narrow sense), hard drink (narrow sense), spirits