dram
UK[dræm]US[dræm]
n
A small drink of alcoholic liquor, especially whiskey.
n
A unit of weight formerly used by apothecaries, equal to one eighth of an ounce (approximately 3.89 grams).
Etymology
The word 'dram' carries a history of measurement and value from the ancient Mediterranean into the taverns of the British Isles. It originates from the Greek 'drakhmḗ', the principal silver coin of ancient Greece, which was also a unit of weight. This term passed into Latin as 'drachma' and entered medieval European commerce and medicine. In English, it first denoted the apothecaries' weight unit, a direct inheritance of its measuring function, before its meaning figuratively shrank to describe a small, potent measure of spirits, capturing the essence of a tiny but valuable quantity.
Analysis
The word 'dram' is a simplex loanword. It entered English from Old French 'drame', which derived from Late Latin 'dragma', itself from Latin 'drachma', and ultimately from Greek 'drakhmḗ'. Its functional role is as a complete lexical unit.
Examples
He poured himself a wee dram of Scotch before dinner.
The old recipe called for one dram of the tincture.
After the long hike, he felt he had earned a dram.