Cocktail

[kok-teyl] /ˈkɒkˌteɪl/

noun
1.
any of various short mixed drinks, consisting typically of gin, whiskey, rum, vodka, or brandy, with different admixtures, as vermouth, fruit juices, or flavorings, usually chilled and frequently sweetened.
2.
a portion of food, as seafood served with a sauce, a mixture of fruits, or juice, served as the appetizer course of a meal.
3.
Pharmacology. a beverage or solution concocted of various drugs.
4.
any eclectic mixture or miscellaneous collection.
verb (used without object)
5.
to drink cocktails, especially at a :
They cocktailed before going to the theater.
adjective
6.
(of women’s clothing) styled for semiformal wear:
a cocktail dress.
7.
of, pertaining to, used in, or suitable to the serving of cocktails:
cocktail onions; cocktail napkins.
[kok-teyl] /ˈkɒkˌteɪl/
noun
1.
a horse with a docked .
2.
a horse that is not a thoroughbred.
3.
a man of little breeding who passes for a gentleman.
/ˈkɒkˌteɪl/
noun
1.

2.
an appetizer of seafood, mixed fruits, etc
3.
any combination of diverse elements, esp one considered potent
4.
(modifier) appropriate for formal occasions: a cocktail dress
/ˈkɒkˌteɪl/
noun
1.
a horse with a docked tail
2.
an animal of unknown or mixed breeding
3.
(archaic) a person of little breeding pretending to be a gentleman
n.

first attested 1806; H.L. Mencken lists seven versions of its origin, perhaps the most persuasive is French coquetier “egg-cup” (15c.; in English cocktay). In New Orleans, c.1795, Antoine Amédée Peychaud, an apothecary (and inventor of Peychaud bitters) held Masonic social gatherings at his pharmacy, where he mixed brandy toddies with his own bitters and served them in an egg-cup. On this theory, the drink took the name of the cup. Used from 1920s of any mix of substances (e.g. fruit, Molotov). Cocktail party first attested 1928.

cocktail cock·tail (kŏk’tāl)
n.

noun

Related Terms

molotov cocktail

GMD Toolbox for Compiler Construction