Arak
/ˈær.ək/noun
A clear, potent distilled alcoholic drink traditionally associated with the Middle East and made from ingredients such as grapes, dates, or anise.
Did you know?The Arabic word ʿaraq means “sweat,” and came to denote distilled liquor because alcohol was imagined as the liquid that “sweated” or dripped out during distillation.
Etymological Timeline
Classical Arabic
Arabic
عَرَق (ʿaraq)
“Sweat; bodily perspiration”
Medieval Arabic
Arabic
عَرَق (ʿaraq)
“A distilled alcoholic spirit, alongside its older meaning “sweat””
Ottoman Period
Ottoman Turkish
rakı
“A distilled alcoholic drink, especially one flavored with anise”
18th–19th Century
English
arrack / arak
“A distilled spirit imported from regions of the Middle East, South Asia, and Southeast Asia”
Modern English
English
arak
“A strong, usually clear spirit traditionally produced in the Middle East”