firewater
UK[ˈfaɪəwɔːtə]US[ˈfaɪrˌwɑːt̬ɚ]
n
strong alcoholic drink, especially whiskey or other distilled spirits.
Morpheme Breakdown
fire
water
fire
fire
water
water
Etymology
the word firewater is a transparent compound formed from the old english words 'fyr' (fire) and 'wæter' (water). it is a calque, or loan translation, originating from indigenous languages of north america, such as algonquian, where the term for distilled spirits was a compound literally meaning 'fire water'. this vivid metaphor directly describes the burning sensation produced by consuming strong liquor. the term entered american english in the early 17th century, preserving this descriptive logic to refer to potent distilled alcohol.
Analysis
Structure: fire + water
fire (old english; literal element meaning 'fire'), water (old english; literal element meaning 'water')
Examples
the old trader offered a bottle of firewater in exchange for furs.
in many frontier tales, firewater was blamed for causing trouble in the settlements.
he took a swig of the homemade firewater and immediately felt its fiery heat.