Meanings
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1
noun
a hot drink of wine, usually port, mixed with water, sugar, citrus, and spices
The traveler warmed herself with a cup of hot negus and a sandwich.
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2
noun
usually Negus and pronounced nəˈɡuːs: an Ethiopian king or provincial ruler
The envoy carried a sealed letter to the Negus of Ethiopia.
Thesaurus
Etymology
The drink was named for Colonel Francis Negus, an English courtier of the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries to whom its recipe was attributed. The title Negus has a separate origin: Amharic and Ge'ez negus, 'king or ruler,' from a Semitic verb meaning 'to rule.' The two nouns also differ in pronunciation.