cocktail

English Online Dictionary. What means cocktail‎? What does cocktail mean?

English

Etymology

Early 17th century, from cock (“male bird”) + tail, in the sense “(a horse with its) tail standing up, like a cock’s”. The origin of the extension to “an alcoholic mixed drink” is unknown. One theory is that it refers to a simulant (gingering), hence a simulating drink; compare pick-me-up. Another attested use is for non-thoroughbred racehorses: these were considered "cock-tailed" due to their docked tails. This may have led to the term "cocktail" (sense 1) being used for an adulterated spirit.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈkɒk.teɪl/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈkɑk.teɪl/
• (General Australian) IPA^(key): /ˈkɔk.tæɪl/

Noun

cocktail (plural cocktails)

1. A mixed alcoholic beverage.

   Synonyms: mixed drink, (abbreviation) ckt
2. (by extension) A mixture of other substances or things.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:hodgepodge
3. A horse, not of pure breed, but having only one eighth or one sixteenth impure blood in its veins.
4. (UK, slang, dated) A mean, half-hearted fellow.

   Synonym: coward
5. A species of rove beetle, so called from its habit of elevating the tail.

Derived terms

Descendants

Translations

Adjective

cocktail (comparative more cocktail, superlative most cocktail)

1. (obsolete) Ostentatiously lacking in manners.

Verb

cocktail (third-person singular simple present cocktails, present participle cocktailing, simple past and past participle cocktailed)

1. (transitive) To adulterate (fuel, etc.) by mixing in other substances.
2. (transitive) To treat (a person) to cocktails.

See also

• swizzle
• See also Thesaurus:alcoholic beverage

References

• Michael Quinion (2004) “Cocktail”, in Ballyhoo, Buckaroo, and Spuds: Ingenious Tales of Words and Their Origins, Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Books in association with Penguin Books, →ISBN.

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from English cocktail, which is of unclear origin.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkɔkteːl/
• Hyphenation: cock‧tail

Noun

cocktail m (plural cocktails, diminutive cocktailtje n)

1. cocktail

Derived terms

• cocktailbar
• cocktailjurk
• cocktailparty
• cocktailsaus
• molotovcocktail

Finnish

Alternative forms

• koktaili

Etymology

Borrowed from English cocktail, which is of unclear origin.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkoktɑi̯l/, [ˈko̞kt̪ɑ̝i̯l]
• IPA^(key): /ˈkoktei̯l/, [ˈko̞kt̪e̞i̯l]
• Rhymes: -oktɑil
• Hyphenation^(key): cock‧tail

Noun

cocktail

1. cocktail (mixed drink)

Declension

Synonyms

• juomasekoitus
• kimara

Derived terms

Further reading

• “cocktail”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎^[3] (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2023-07-02

French

Etymology

Borrowed from English cocktail, which is of unclear origin.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kɔk.tɛl/

Noun

cocktail m (plural cocktails)

1. cocktail
2. (metonymically) cocktail party

Derived terms

• cocktail de crevettes
• cocktail Molotov

Further reading

• “cocktail”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Italian

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English cocktail, which is of unclear origin.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkɔk.tel/
• Rhymes: -ɔktel

Noun

cocktail m (invariable)

1. cocktail
2. cocktail party

References

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From English cocktail.

Noun

cocktail m (definite singular cocktailen, indefinite plural cocktailer, definite plural cocktailene)

1. cocktail

References

• “cocktail” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From English cocktail.

Noun

cocktail m (definite singular cocktailen, indefinite plural cocktailar, definite plural cocktailane)

1. cocktail

References

• “cocktail” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Romanian

Alternative forms

• cocteil

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English cocktail or French cocktail.

Noun

cocktail n (plural cocktailuri)

1. cocktail

Declension

Spanish

Noun

cocktail m (plural cocktails or cocktail)

1. Alternative spelling of cóctel

Swedish

Etymology

Borrowed from English cocktail. First attested in 1847.

Noun

cocktail c

2. a cocktail (mixed alcoholic drink)

4. a cocktail (dish)

5. (figuratively) a cocktail (mix)

Declension

Derived terms

• cocktailparty
• cocktailpåse
• molotovcocktail

See also

• drink

References

• cocktail in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• cocktail in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
• cocktail in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)

Vietnamese

Alternative forms

• cốc tay

Etymology

From English cocktail, which is of unclear origin.

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [kok̚˧˦ taːj˧˧]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [kok̚˦˧˥ taːj˧˧]
• (Saigon) IPA^(key): [kok̚˦˥ taːj˧˧]
• Phonetic spelling: côốc tai

Noun

cocktail

1. cocktail

See also

• rượu cốctay