brandy

IPA/ˈbrændi/
KK[brˈændi]IPA/ˈbrændi/

brandy — noun

  • brandysingular
  • brandiesplural

1. a strong spirit made by distilling wine or fruit juice that has already fermente

1.nounB2
Definition

a strong spirit made by distilling wine or fruit juice that has already fermented, often drunk after meals or used in cooking

Example

Ezra poured a little brandy into the sauce before serving the duck.

used in cooking: a little brandy

Christopher's grandfather sipped brandy slowly beside the fire after dinner.

sip brandy after dinner

Common collocations
  • a glass of brandy
  • a bottle of brandy
  • sip brandy slowly
  • French brandy
  • a drop of brandy
Synonyms
  • cognac

    a narrower term for brandy made in one part of France under strict rules

  • armagnac

    another French brandy, more specific and less widely known than brandy

  • spirits

    a broad category for strong distilled drinks, not just brandy

Grammar Patterns

drink brandy

a glass of brandy

a bottle of brandy

Usage Note

Usually uncountable when you mean the drink itself. Use a measure phrase such as 'a glass of brandy' when talking about one serving.

Common Mistakes

I drank a glass of brandy wine after dinner.
I drank a glass of brandy after dinner.
brandy is a distilled spirit, not a kind of wine.
He poured two brandies into the pan for the sauce.
He poured some brandy into the pan for the sauce.
use the uncountable form when talking about the liquid itself.

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words describe strong distilled alcoholic drinks, but they come from different raw materials and traditions. Brandy is the broad term for a spirit made from wine or fermented fruit juice, and it is often served after meals or used in desserts and sauces. Cognac is one special kind of brandy that must come from the Cognac region of France and follow strict production rules. Whisky is not a kind of brandy because it is made from grain such as barley, corn, or rye. Rum is also different again: it is distilled from sugar cane products such as molasses. If a menu offers brandy, you expect a fruit- or wine-based spirit, not whisky or rum.

brandy ↗cognac ↗whisky ↗rum

Common collocations

Nouns

  • glass of brandy
  • bottle of brandy
  • drop of brandy
  • brandy glass

Phrases

  • sip brandy slowly
  • drink brandy after dinner
  • add brandy to the sauce

Prepositions

  • brandy after [meal]
  • brandy with [coffee/tea]

Etymology

Middle DutchDutchEnglish

Brandy is a shortened form of the older English word brandywine. That earlier word came from Dutch brandewijn, which meant 'burnt wine'. The 'burnt' part referred to the heating used in distillation, not to something being damaged by fire. Over time, English speakers shortened the longer form to brandy.

First known use

1650

1650, in the meaning defined above Verb