What is "aqua vitae"

Aqua \A"qua\, n. [L. See Ewer.] Water; -- a word much used in pharmacy and the old chemistry, in various signification, determined by the word or words annexed.

Aqua ammoni[ae], the aqueous solution of ammonia; liquid ammonia; often called aqua ammonia.

Aqua marine, or Aqua marina. Same as Aquamarine.

Aqua regia. [L., royal water] (Chem.), a very corrosive fuming yellow liquid consisting of nitric and hydrochloric acids. It has the power of dissolving gold, the ``royal'' metal.

Aqua Tofana, a fluid containing arsenic, and used for secret poisoning, made by an Italian woman named Tofana, in the middle of the 17th century, who is said to have poisoned more than 600 persons.
--Francis.

Aqua vit[ae][L., water of life. Cf. Eau de vie, Usquebaugh], a name given to brandy and some other ardent spirits.
--Shak.

early 15c., Latin, literally "water of life," an alchemical term for unrefined alcohol. Applied to brandy, whiskey, etc. from 1540s. Compare whiskey, also French eau-de-vie "spirits, brandy," literally "water of life."

n. 1 (context alchemy English) An aqueous solution of alcohol typically prepared by distilling wine. 2 (context chemistry archaic English) A concentrated aqueous solution of ethanol. 3 (context beverages English) French brandy / cognac.

n. (alternative form of aqua vitae English)

n. strong distilled liquor or brandy [syn: ardent spirits]

Aqua vitae ( Latin for "water of life") or aqua vita is an archaic name for a concentrated aqueous solution of ethanol. The term was in wide use during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, although its origin is likely much earlier. This Latin term appears in a wide array of dialectical forms throughout all lands and people conquered by ancient Rome. Generally, the term is a generic name for all types of distillates, and eventually came to refer specifically to distillates of alcoholic beverages ( liquors).

Aqua vitae was typically prepared by distilling wine; it was sometimes called "spirits of wine" in English texts, a name for brandy that had been repeatedly distilled.

Aqua vitae was often an etymological source of terms applied to important locally produced distilled spirits. Examples include whiskey (from the Gaelic uisce beatha), eau de vie in France, acquavite in Italy, and akvavit in Scandinavia, okowita in Poland, оковита (okovyta) in Ukraine, акавіта (akavita) in Belarus, and яковита (yakovita) in southern Russian dialects.