water of life en · NOUN
Etymology
Chiefly a calque of Medieval Latin aqua vītae directly and via Scottish Gaelic uisge-beatha and Irish uisce beatha. Compare akvavit, aquavit, aqua vitae, eau de vie, whisky, and whiskey from the same sources. Compare also vodka, whose (borrowed) roots also refer to a special kind of water, as it were.
Meanings
- (uncountable) Synonym of aqua vitae, a distilled spirit.
- (Scotland, qualifier:particularly Ireland, uncountable) Synonym of whisky/whiskey.
- (figuratively, uncountable) Spiritual refreshment.