Definitions

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

  • noun An alcoholic beverage made by distillation rather than by fermentation.
  • noun A rich broth resulting from the prolonged cooking of meat or vegetables, especially greens.
  • noun An aqueous solution of a nonvolatile substance.
  • noun A solution, emulsion, or suspension for industrial use.
  • transitive verb To steep (malt, for example).
  • transitive verb Slang To make drunk with alcoholic liquor. Often used with up:

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A liquid or fluid substance, as water, milk, blood, sap, etc.
  • noun A strong or active liquid of any sort.
  • noun A strong solution of a particular substance, used in the industrial arts. The liquor of any substance is that substance held in solution, and the word used absolutely has meanings differing according to the indnstry in which it is used.
  • noun An elixir.
  • noun Hence— Any prepared solution, as a sugar solution for claying the loaves, or a solution of a dye or mordant.
  • noun A dilution, as in liquor ammoniæ. [In technical Latin phrases pronounced li′ kwôr, as in liquor amnii, liquor potosseæ, etc.]
  • noun Measured (in selling) with their natural juice, as oysters: opposed to solid.
  • To moisten; drench.
  • To rub with oil or grease; anoint; lubricate.
  • To treat with a liquor; apply liquor or a solution to, as in various manufacturing operations.
  • To give liquor to; supply with liquor for drinking.
  • To drink; especially, to drink spirits: often with up.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • transitive verb rare To supply with liquor.
  • transitive verb obsolete To grease.
  • noun Any liquid substance, as water, milk, blood, sap, juice, or the like.
  • noun Specifically, alcoholic or spirituous fluid, either distilled or fermented, as brandy, wine, whisky, beer, etc.
  • noun (Pharm.) A solution of a medicinal substance in water; -- distinguished from tincture and aqua.
  • noun (Old Chem.) a solution of an alkaline hypochlorite, as sodium hypochlorite, used in bleaching and as a disinfectant.
  • noun (Old Chem.) soluble glass; -- so called because formerly made from powdered flints. See Soluble glass, under Glass.
  • noun (Old Chem.) See Fuming liquor of Libavius, under Fuming.
  • noun (Physiol.) the blood plasma.
  • noun a tube for taking samples of liquor from a cask through the bung hole.
  • noun to be intoxicated.

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

  • noun obsolete A liquid.
  • noun obsolete A drinkable liquid.
  • noun A liquid obtained by cooking meat or vegetables (or both).
  • noun Strong alcoholic drink derived from fermentation and distillation.
  • verb intransitive To drink liquor, usually to excess.
  • verb transitive To cause someone to drink liquor, usually to excess.
  • verb obsolete, transitive To grease.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun an alcoholic beverage that is distilled rather than fermented
  • noun the liquid in which vegetables or meat have be cooked
  • noun a liquid substance that is a solution (or emulsion or suspension) used or obtained in an industrial process

Etymologies

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

[Middle English licour, a liquid, from Old French, from Latin liquor, from liquēre, to be liquid.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle English, from licor, from Anglo-Norman licur, from Latin liquor ("fluidity, liquidness, a fluid, a liquid"), from liquere ("to be fluid or liquid"); see liquid.

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Examples

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  • "The brewer's word for the water used in the brewing process during malting, mashing and sparging."

    - Beer Glossary

    October 7, 2007

  • From the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English:

    "A solution of a medicinal substance in water; -- distinguished from tincture and aqua."

    May 4, 2017