mescal en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- /mɛˈskɑl/
- /ˈmɛzkæl/
- /mɛˈskæl/
- (General-American) audio
Etymology
From Mexican Spanish mezcal, from Nahuatl or Classical Nahuatl mexcalli (“intoxicating drink made from fermented agave juice”), perhaps from metl (“maguey (agave)”) + ixcalli (“stew”).
Meanings
-
(countable, uncountable) A Mexican alcoholic drink distilled from the fermented juice of the agave.
He thought: 900 pesos=100 bottles of whiskey=900 ditto tequila. argal: one should drink neither tequila nor whiskey but mescal.
1947, Malcolm Lowry, Under the Volcano, New York: Reynal & Hitchcock, page 77:
- (countable, uncountable) The peyote cactus.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| mescals | Number=Plur | lexicographic | |
| mexcal | alternative, rare | lexicographic | |
| mezcal | alternative | lexicographic |
Deriveds
mescaline · mescalism · mescal bean
Translations (3)
apw nadah (Mexican alcoholic drink) · ru меска́ль (Mexican alcoholic drink) · eo meskalo (Mexican alcoholic drink)