apéritif

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   an alcoholic drink taken before a meal to stimulate the appetite

   They ordered a dry apéritif while waiting for dinner.

2. 2
   noun

   figurative: a small preliminary taste intended to prepare interest for what follows

   The short recital served as an apéritif before the full concert.

Borrowed from French aperitif, from Medieval Latin aperitivus, 'opening,' from Latin aperire, 'to open.' The drink was so called because it was believed to open or stimulate the appetite. English writes the word both apéritif and aperitif.

Topics

External links

• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary
• Google Images