Xeres
/ˈʃɛrɛs/noun
A historical English spelling of sherry, the fortified wine associated with Jerez in southern Spain.
Did you know?The word ultimately preserves the Arabic-era name of Jerez, showing how Islamic Iberia helped transmit the identity of sherry into European languages.
Etymological Timeline
Antiquity
Latin
Gades / Ceret
“Ancient names associated with the southwestern Iberian region; the precise origin of the later place-name is debated.”
Medieval period
Arabic
Šarīš
“The Arabic name for Jerez, a major town in al-Andalus.”
13th Century
Old Spanish
Xerez
“The Spanish place-name for Jerez after Christian reconquest; the initial x represented a sibilant sound.”
16th Century
Spanish
Jerez
“The modern Spanish form of the city’s name and the source of the wine name.”
17th Century
English
sherris / sherry
“Wine from Jerez, with the place-name reinterpreted and reshaped in English.”
Historical English
English
xeres
“An obsolete or variant spelling for sherry, preserving the older x-spelling associated with Xerez.”