Rum
/rʌm/noun
A distilled alcoholic spirit made from sugarcane products such as molasses.
Did you know?The word’s origin is uncertain, but rum became inseparable from naval life, slavery-era sugar production, and the global trade routes that turned a drink into a symbol of empire.
Etymological Timeline
1650s
English
rum
“A strong alcoholic drink, especially one associated with the Caribbean”
1650s
Caribbean English
rum
“A cane spirit distilled from sugarcane byproducts”
17th Century
English
rum
“The same spirit, likely borrowed from a dialectal or slang source”
17th Century
English
rumbullion
“An uproar, disturbance, or noisy commotion; sometimes linked in folk explanation to the drink's name”