Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun An alcoholic drink taken at the end of a meal, often thought to aid digestion.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A beverage consumed after eating, so-called because it is presumed to aid digestion.

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[French, digestive, digestif, from Latin dīgestīvus, digestive, from dīgestus, past participle of dīgerere, to disperse, separate; see digest.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

French digestif.

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Examples

  • Open through mid-October, Ottava Isola (www. ottavaisola.it) serves up meals of shellfish and pasta ending with mirto, a Sardinian digestif, that rival fine dining found on land.

    The Subdued Side of Sardinia Cristina Slattery 2010

  • Corona's pumping Euro-rave anthem Rhythm of the Night is no digestif.

    Belfast's top 10 budget eats 2011

  • Old-timers suggest drinking it cold as a digestif, but at 108 proof you'll still want to drink it slowly, which will help you savor the full bounty of flavors.

    The Intrigue of Chartreuse 2011

  • Here, people tend to drink cognac as an ap é ritif or sometimes as a digestif.

    A Slow Path to Perfection Lennox Morrison 2011

  • Martin Ramin for The Wall Street Journal Springerle cookie Simple Springerles These holiday classics are a thoroughly adult treat: dense, deeply perfumed with anise—and ideal with a digestif.

    Wunderbar Cookies Sarah Karnasiewicz 2011

  • And the liquour sorbets, such as those made with Calvados, Cassis or Armagnac, are a digestif and dessert combination.

    Mexican frozen treats: Helados, nieves and paletas 2009

  • A variety of shapes and sizes, for champagne, wines, moscato passito di Pantelleria, and Liquore Centerba, a digestif made with 100 herbs -- which was very helpful at the end of such a week.

    Rozanne Gold: Tastes of the Week Rozanne Gold 2012

  • A variety of shapes and sizes, for champagne, wines, moscato passito di Pantelleria, and Liquore Centerba, a digestif made with 100 herbs -- which was very helpful at the end of such a week.

    Rozanne Gold: Tastes of the Week Rozanne Gold 2012

  • A variety of shapes and sizes, for champagne, wines, moscato passito di Pantelleria, and Liquore Centerba, a digestif made with 100 herbs -- which was very helpful at the end of such a week.

    Rozanne Gold: Tastes of the Week Rozanne Gold 2012

  • After dinner the members would play cards and they began drinking cognac pure as a digestif.

    A Slow Path to Perfection Lennox Morrison 2011

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