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Whisky

Question:

I have heard that whisky originally meant "water of life." Is this true?

Answer:

You are right. Whisky comes from the Gaelic uisge beatha, which translates to "water of life." Uisge beatha evolved into usquebaugh, then whiskybae, with whisky as its short form.

According to the Canadian Oxford Dictionary (2004), whisky is the preferred Canadian spelling, but Irish whiskey is usually spelled whiskey.