absinthe

absinthe

absinthe , an emerald-green liqueur distilled from wormwood and other aromatics, including angelica root, sweet-flag root, star anise, and dittany, which have been macerated and steeped in alcohol. It was invented in the 1790s by a Dr. Pierre Ordinaire, a Frenchman who lived in Switzerland, and the liqueur became enormously popular, particularly in late-19th-century Paris. Genuine absinthe is 70% to 80% alcohol. Because it caused harmful neurological effects (due to the presence of thujone, a toxic chemical in wormwood), absinthe was banned in many countries; where it still is available it is no longer as toxic as it once was.

Bibliography: See study by J. Adams (2004).

Show all research tools

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

"absinthe." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"absinthe." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-absinthe.html

"absinthe." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-absinthe.html

Learn more about citation styles

absinthe

ab·sinthe / ˈabˌsin[unvoicedth]/ (also ab·sinth) • n. 1. the shrub wormwood. 2. a potent green aniseed-flavored liqueur. Prepared from wormwood, it is now largely banned because of its toxicity.

Show all research tools

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

"absinthe." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"absinthe." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-absinthe.html

"absinthe." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-absinthe.html

Learn more about citation styles

absinthe

absinthe A herb liqueur flavoured with wormwood (Artemisia absinthium); it is toxic, sale was outlawed in USA in 1912, and in France and many other countries in 1915; its manufacture was restarted in the late 1990s. See also vermouth.

Show all research tools

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

DAVID A. BENDER. "absinthe." A Dictionary of Food and Nutrition. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

DAVID A. BENDER. "absinthe." A Dictionary of Food and Nutrition. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O39-absinthe.html

DAVID A. BENDER. "absinthe." A Dictionary of Food and Nutrition. 2005. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O39-absinthe.html

Learn more about citation styles

absinthe

absinthe a green aniseed-flavoured liqueur, originally flavoured with wormwood, although this is now banned owing to its toxicity; in the 19th and early 20th centuries drinking absinthe was regarded as a sign of decadence.

Show all research tools

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "absinthe." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "absinthe." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-absinthe.html

ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "absinthe." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-absinthe.html

Learn more about citation styles

absinthe

absinthe wormwood XVII; liqueur orig. flavoured with this XIX. — F. — L. absinthium — Gr. apsínthion wormwood, of alien orig.

Show all research tools

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

T. F. HOAD. "absinthe." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

T. F. HOAD. "absinthe." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-absinthe.html

T. F. HOAD. "absinthe." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-absinthe.html

Learn more about citation styles

absinthe

absinthe •amaranth •nth, tenth •eighteenth, fifteenth, fourteenth, nineteenth, seventeenth, sixteenth, thirteenth, umpteenth •plinth, synth •Corinth • labyrinth • jacinth •absinthe • hyacinth • ninth •crème de menthe • month •twelvemonth •billionth, millionth, trillionth, zillionth •eleventh, seventh •thousandth • dozenth

Show all research tools

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

"absinthe." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"absinthe." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-absinthe.html

"absinthe." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-absinthe.html

Learn more about citation styles

Free newspaper and magazine articles

Absinthe makes the heart grow fonder.(Details: From the Pulpit)
Magazine article from: Risk Management; 6/1/2008
The search for real absinthe: like Tinkerbell, the Green Fairy lives only if...
Magazine article from: Reason; 8/1/2005
ABSINTHE FRIENDS; Its reputation precedes it, but is absinthe mad, bad and...
Newspaper article from: The Mail on Sunday (London, England); 10/23/2005

Facts and information from other sites

absinthe images
absinthe. (Image by Eric Litton)