Jerez
/xeˈɾeθ/noun
Jerez is a city in Andalusia, Spain, and the name used in English for its associated fortified wine region.
Did you know?The English word “sherry” developed from older spellings of Jerez, including Xeres, after English speakers reinterpreted the place-name as the name of the wine itself.
Etymological Timeline
Roman period
Latin
Ceretum / Ceret
“A proposed ancient name connected with the settlement; the precise relationship to later Jerez remains uncertain.”
Early Islamic period
Arabic
Šarīš
“The Arabic form of the place-name, traditionally transliterated as Sharish or Saris.”
Medieval period
Arabic
Jerez / Šarīš
“The city known under its Arabic name during Muslim rule in al-Andalus.”
13th Century
Old Spanish
Xerez
“A Castilian spelling used after the Christian conquest; the initial X represented a medieval “sh” sound.”
15th–16th Century
English
sherry
“An English wine term derived from altered forms of Xeres, the Spanish place-name.”
Modern Spanish
Spanish
Jerez
“The modern name of the Andalusian city, formally Jerez de la Frontera.”
Explore more surprising origins