Ratafia
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 A liqueur or cordial flavored with peach or cherry kernels, bitter almonds, or other fruits. countable, uncountable
"“Stop that there infernal screeching!” said a couple of ladies, who were sipping ratafia in company with two pretty fellows."
- 2 macaroon flavored with ratafia liqueur wordnet
- 3 A kind of biscuit made with ratafia essence and almond or apricot kernels. countable
"Mrs. Chaloner ordered wine-biscuits and olives, and gave Mr. Freely to understand that she should find his shop a great convenience. So did the doctor’s wife, and so did Mrs. Gate, at the large carding-mill, who, having high connexions frequently visiting her, might be expected to have a large consumption of ratafias and macaroons."
- 4 sweet liqueur made from wine and brandy flavored with plum or peach or apricot kernels and bitter almonds wordnet
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
More examples"“Stop that there infernal screeching!” said a couple of ladies, who were sipping ratafia in company with two pretty fellows."
Etymology
Borrowed from Creole French ratafia, from the Latin phrase rata fiat (conventio) (“the deal is made”), a drinking toast expression to celebrate a deal or an agreement. Or, sharing an Arabic origin with arak.
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.