malmsey en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- /ˈmɑːmzɪ/ (UK)
- /ˈmɑ(l)mzi/ (US)
Etymology
Via Middle English malmesye from Middle Dutch malemeseye, from Italian via Old French, ultimately from Ancient Greek Μονεμβασία (Monembasía, “Monemvasia”, a city on the Peloponnese), from μόνος (mónos, “only one”) + ἔμβασις (émbasis, “entering into”, ἐν- + βάσις). Doublet of malvoisie.
Meanings
-
(countable, uncountable) A sweet fortified wine made in Madeira, originally from the malvasia grape.
Hers was an idiotic sort of attachment, full of admiration for him, of voluptuousness for her, a beatitude that benumbed her; her soul sank into this drunkenness, shrivelled up, drowned in it, like Clarence in his butt of Malmsey.
1886, Gustave Flaubert, chapter XII, in Eleanor Marx-Aveling, transl., Madame Bovary: Provincial Manners […], London: Vizetelly & Co., […], →OCLC, part II, page 210:Take that, and that, if all this will not do, Stabs him. Ile drowne you in the Malmesey-But within.
c. 1593 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedy of Richard the Third: […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene iv]:All black wines, over-hot, compound, strong, thick drinks, as muscadine, malmsey, alicant, rumney, brown bastard, metheglin, and the like […]
, New York, published 2001, page 223
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| malmesey | alternative | lexicographic | |
| malmseys | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Synonyms
Translations (16)
enm malvesye (wine made from malvasia) · ru мальва́зия (wine made from malvasia) · it malvasia (wine made from malvasia) · cmn 馬姆齊甜酒 /马姆齐甜酒 (wine made from malvasia) · cs malvaz (wine made from malvasia) · pt malvasia (wine made from malvasia) · sh màlvāzija (wine made from malvasia) · de Malvasier (wine made from malvasia) · uk мальва́зія (wine made from malvasia) · pl małmazja (wine made from malvasia) · sh ма̀лва̄зија (wine made from malvasia) · enm malmesye (wine made from malvasia) · fi Malvasia (wine made from malvasia) · fi Malvasia-viini (wine made from malvasia) · fr malvoisie (wine made from malvasia) · es malvasía (wine made from malvasia)