Quaff
/kwɔːf/noun
To drink something heartily or in large gulps.
Did you know?Unlike words such as mortgage or disaster, quaff has no securely established ancient “dark” literal meaning; its power is in the sound itself, with scholars treating it as an expressive, probably imitative word that rose in English in the 16th century.
Etymological Timeline
16th Century
English
quaff
“To drink deeply or copiously.”
16th Century
English
quaffe
“An early spelling used in English texts with the sense of drinking deeply.”
Uncertain
English
quaf
“A variant form in early modern English, likely expressive or imitative in origin.”
Uncertain
English
quaff-
“No securely traced earlier source is documented; the word is generally treated as of unknown origin.”