- cocktail
-
cocktail1
/kok"tayl'/, n.1. any of various short mixed drinks, consisting typically of gin, whiskey, rum, vodka, or brandy, with different admixtures, as vermouth, fruit juices, or flavorings, usually chilled and frequently sweetened.2. a portion of food, as seafood served with a sauce, a mixture of fruits, or juice, served as the appetizer course of a meal.3. Pharm. a beverage or solution concocted of various drugs.4. any eclectic mixture or miscellaneous collection.v.i.5. to drink cocktails, esp. at a cocktail party: They cocktailed before going to the theater.adj.6. (of women's clothing) styled for semiformal wear: a cocktail dress.7. of, pertaining to, used in, or suitable to the serving of cocktails: cocktail onions; cocktail napkins.[1800-10, Amer.; orig. obscure; none of numerous attempts to explain the orig. of this word or its relationship to COCKTAIL2 have won general acceptance]cocktail2/kok"tayl'/, n.1. a horse with a docked tail.2. a horse that is not a thoroughbred.3. a man of little breeding who passes for a gentleman.[1590-1600; COCK2 + TAIL1]
* * *
Universalium. 2010.