arak
uh-RAK/əˈɹæk/
- 1A clear alcoholic drink that is not sweet and tastes of aniseed, made mostly in Lebanon and nearby countries.
My uncle poured everyone a small glass of arak after dinner.
They drank their arak with cold water and ice.
Note
- 2Alternative spelling of arrack. Arrack is an alcoholic drink made from palm flowers or sugar cane.
He brought home a bottle of coconut arak from his trip to Sri Lanka.
In Indonesia, the old man made arak from sugar cane and red rice.
Note
- 3A tree whose small branches people use like a toothbrush to clean their teeth.
He broke off a stick of arak and rubbed it on his teeth.
Goats were eating the leaves of the arak beside the path.
Note
Practice
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Origins
Meanings 1–2
From an Arabic word meaning “sweat”, after the drops that form when the drink is distilled.
Meaning 3
From the Arabic word ʔarāk.