Quaff
These days, the word “quaff” sounds both archaic and rather literary. To describe drinking a great deal of something — especially gulping it down in large quantities — you’d more likely reach for a modern word like drain, pound, or slug. If you’re a more refined sort of consumer, you might prefer sip, imbibe, or partake in your beverage of choice.
Quaff is far from the oldest word in this group: it first appears in the early 16th century, while sip dates back to the 14th. And yet, of all these words, it’s the only one whose etymology remains a true mystery!
Other posts