Kefir
/kəˈfɪər/noun
A tangy fermented milk drink made with kefir grains.
Did you know?The word is traditionally traced to Turkic languages, where it is linked to a sense of 'pleasure' or 'good feeling,' which fits a drink that cultures prized as both food and medicine.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Turkic
PTurk
*köpür / *kefir?
“Reconstructed ancestral form often connected with pleasantness or well-being, though the exact prehistory is uncertain”
Turkic languages
Turkic
keif / keyif
“Pleasure, good spirits, comfort, enjoyment”
18th-19th Century
Russian
кефир
“Kefir, the fermented milk drink”
19th Century
English
kefir
“A fermented milk beverage made with kefir grains”