Mezcal
/ˈmɛskæl/noun
A distilled alcoholic spirit made from agave, especially in Mexico.
Did you know?The word ultimately comes from Nahuatl roots for agave and cooked maguey, linking the spirit’s name to the plant’s transformed, roasted form rather than to alcohol itself.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-Columbian Nahuatl
Nahuatl
mexcalli
“cooked agave, especially agave roasted for food or drink preparation”
Colonial Nahuatl/Spanish contact
Nahuatl
mexcal
“agave prepared by cooking; term applied to the plant and its processed form”
16th–17th Century
Spanish
mezcal
“an agave-based distilled liquor in New Spain”
19th Century
English
mescal
“a distilled spirit from agave, especially in Mexico”
Modern English
English
mezcal
“a Mexican distilled spirit made from agave”