# cocktail
## English
### Etymology

Early 17th century, from cock (“male bird”) + tail, in the sense “(a horse with its) tail standing up, like a cock’s”. The origin of the extension to “an alcoholic mixed drink” is unknown. One theory is that it refers to a simulant (gingering), hence a simulating drink; compare pick-me-up. Another attested use is for non-thoroughbred racehorses: these were considered "cock-tailed" due to their docked tails. This may have led to the term "cocktail" (sense 1) being used for an adulterated spirit.

### Pronunciation

* (Received Pronunciation) IPA: /ˈkɒk.teɪl/
* (General American) IPA: /ˈkɑk.teɪl/
* (General Australian) IPA: /ˈkɔk.tæɪl/
** Audio (General Australian):(file)

### Noun

cocktail (plural cocktails)
* A mixed alcoholic beverage.
    Synonyms: mixed drink, (abbreviation) ckt
    They visited a bar noted for its wide range of cocktails.
** 1806 May 6, “Rum! Rum! Rum!”, in Balance and Columbian Repository‎, volume v, number 18, New York: Hudson, page 142:[...] a certain candidate has placed in his account of Loss and Gain, the following items:-- LOSS [...] 411 glasses bitters[,] 25 do. cock-tail
** 1806 May 13, “Communication”, in Balance and Columbian Repository‎, volume v, number 19, New York: Hudson, page 146:Cock tail, then, is a stimulating liquor, composed of spirits of any kind, sugar, water, and bitters — it is vulgarly called bittered sling, and is supposed to be an excellent electioneering potion, inasmuch as it renders the heart stout and bold, at the same time that it fuddles the head.
** 1904, Charlotte Bryson Taylor, “Chapter VI”, in In the Dwellings of the Wilderness:Deane opened the fray by declaring, à propos of dinners, that the only proper way to create a cocktail of the genus Martini was to add a half-spoonful of sherry after the other ingredients had been satisfactorily mixed, if at all.
** 1922, Sinclair Lewis, “Chapter 8”, in Babbitt:He moved majestically down to mix the cocktails. As he chipped ice, as he squeezed oranges, as he collected vast stores of bottles, glasses, and spoons at the sink in the pantry, he felt as authoritative as the bartender at Healey Hanson's saloon.
** 2011, Mark Polonsky et al., USSR: From an Original Idea by Karl Marx, page 32:The cocktail in Britain is a rigidly-defined social institution: each has its own particular meaning—the G & T is the alcoholic equivalent of the interview suit; Pernod and black is an alternative to glue sniffing for repentant trendies, etc.
* (by extension) A mixture of other substances or things.
    Synonyms: see Thesaurus:hodgepodge
    Scientists found a cocktail of pollutants in the river downstream from the chemical factory.
    a cocktail of illegal drugs
** 2013, Andrew Farmer, Managing Environmental Pollution, Routledge, →ISBN, page 22:Motor vehicles, for example, emit a cocktail of nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds, particulates, heavy metals and (for diesel) sulphur dioxide.
** 2019, Eliza Hartrich, “Edward IV, the Earl of Warwick, and a Changing Urban Sector, 1461–71”, in Politics and the Urban Sector in Fifteenth-Century England, 1413–1471, Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 181:This chapter examines how the concurrent phenomena of an assertive monarch, persistent civil war, and economic change affected the political activities of townspeople in three ways: in the relationship between the ‘urban sector’ and the English polity, in the complexion of municipal internal politics, and in the nature of urban participation in the civil wars of 1469–71. In all three of these fields, the particular cocktail of circumstances present in the 1460s encouraged a wide variety of townspeople to become invested emotionally and materially in the course of national politics, as they had not been during much of the 1450s.
** 2023 March 8, David Clough, “The long road that led to Beeching”, in RAIL, page 38:Terry Gourvish, the lead author if the authorised commercial history of BR, described the new BTC structure thus: "The conclusion must be that the combination of a few undynamic railwaymen, underpaid full-timers (Commission and General Staff) and poorly-paid part-time businessmen was not a very potent managerial cocktail."
* A horse, not of pure breed, but having only one eighth or one sixteenth impure blood in its veins.
** 1868, Charles Darwin, The Variation of Animals and Plants Under Domestication, volume ii, John Murray, page 11:A “cock-tail” is a horse not purely bred, but with only one-eighth or one-sixteenth impure blood in his veins
* (UK, slang, dated) A mean, half-hearted fellow.
    Synonym: coward
** 1854, Arthur Pendennis [pseudonym; William Makepeace Thackeray], The Newcomes: Memoirs of a Most Respectable Family, volume (please specify |volume=I or II), London: Bradbury and Evans, […], →OCLC:It was in the second affair that poor little Barney showed he was a cocktail.
* A species of rove beetle, so called from its habit of elevating the tail.

#### Derived terms

* AIDS cocktail
* atom cocktail
* atomic cocktail
* beertail
* Brompton cocktail
* champagne cocktail
* cocktail ant
* cocktail bar
* cocktail cabinet
* cocktail dress
* cocktailery
* cocktail flu
* cocktail fork
* cocktail frank, cocktail frankfurter
* cocktail frock
* cocktail game
* cocktail glass
* cocktail hat
* cocktailian
* cocktailing
* cocktail length
* cocktail lounge
* cocktail music
* cocktail onion
* cocktail party
* cocktail party deafness
* cocktail party effect
* cocktail party graph
* cocktail peanut
* cocktail sandwich
* cocktail sauce
* cocktail sausage
* cocktail sav, cocktail saveloy
* cocktail shaker
* cocktail stick
* cocktail table
* cocktail tomato
* cocktail waitress
* cocktailwear
* cocktail wiener
* colonic cocktail
* currency cocktail
* Darvon cocktail
* Dubonnet cocktail
* fruit cocktail
* kiddie cocktail
* locktail
* mocktail
* molotov cocktail
* Molotov cocktail
* Myers' cocktail
* phytococktail
* poptail
* prairie cocktail
* prawn cocktail
* prawn cocktail offensive
* scintillation cocktail

#### Descendants

* → Catalan: còctel
* → Czech: koktejl
* → Dutch: cocktail
* → Esperanto: koktelo
* → Finnish: cocktail
* → French: cocktail
* → Galician: cóctel
* → German: Cocktail
* → Greek: κοκτέιλ (koktéil)
* → Hungarian: koktél
* → Italian: cocktail
* → Japanese: カクテル (kakuteru)
* → Korean: 칵테일 (kakteil)
* → Norwegian Bokmål: cocktail
* → Norwegian Nynorsk: cocktail
* → Polish: koktajl
* → Portuguese: coquetel
* → Russian: кокте́йль (koktéjlʹ) (see there for further descendants)
* → Spanish: cóctel, coctel
* → Swedish: cocktail
* → Thai: ค็อกเทล (kɔ́k-teel)
* → Turkish: kokteyl

#### Translations
### Adjective

cocktail (comparative more cocktail, superlative most cocktail)
* (obsolete) Ostentatiously lacking in manners.
** 1830, Sporting Magazine:It looks very cocktail to be seen riding through the streets of London in a scarlet coat ;
** 1840, The Sporting magazine:The Prince had nothing particular about him but a monstrous smart whip with a gold stag for a handle, which was pronounced a very cocktail looking instrument by the Leicestershire farmers, with whom His Serene Highness is no favorite
** 2008, Christine Kelly, Mrs Duberly's War: Journal and Letters from the Crimea, 1854-6, →ISBN:She always goes about with a brace of loaded revolvers in her belt!! Very cocktail and no occasion for it
** 1875, Charles Thomas Samuel Birch Reynardson, 'Down the Road': Or, Reminiscences of a Gentleman Coachman:Nothing looks so cocktail and muffish on a coach as to see a man learning to catch his whip, and after many futile efforts taking it upside down for this purpose, and twisting the thong round and round with the point downwards, as if he was stirring porridge for a pack of hounds.

### Verb

cocktail (third-person singular simple present cocktails, present participle cocktailing, simple past and past participle cocktailed)
* (transitive) To adulterate (fuel, etc.) by mixing in other substances.
* (transitive) To treat (a person) to cocktails.
    He dined and cocktailed her at the most exclusive bars and restaurants.

### See also

* swizzle
* See also Thesaurus:alcoholic beverage

### References

* Michael Quinion (2004) “Cocktail”, in Ballyhoo, Buckaroo, and Spuds: Ingenious Tales of Words and Their Origins, Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Books in association with Penguin Books, →ISBN.
* ↑ Wondrich, David (2015) Imbibe!, Penguin, →ISBN, page 214
* ↑ “cocktail”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.

## Dutch
### Etymology

Borrowed from English cocktail, which is of unclear origin.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈkɔkteːl/
* Audio:(file)
* Hyphenation: cock‧tail

### Noun

cocktail m (plural cocktails, diminutive cocktailtje n)
* cocktail

#### Derived terms

* cocktailbar
* cocktailjurk
* cocktailparty
* cocktailsaus
* molotovcocktail

## Finnish
### Alternative forms

* koktaili

### Etymology

Borrowed from English cocktail, which is of unclear origin.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈkoktɑi̯l/, [ˈko̞kt̪ɑ̝i̯l]
* IPA: /ˈkoktei̯l/, [ˈko̞kt̪e̞i̯l]
* Rhymes: -oktɑil
* Hyphenation: cock‧tail

### Noun

cocktail
* cocktail (mixed drink)

#### Declension

Possessive forms of cocktail (Kotus type 5/risti, no gradation) :
first-person singular possessor
singular
plural
nominative
cocktailini
cocktailini
accusative
nom.
cocktailini
cocktailini
gen.
cocktailini
genitive
cocktailini
cocktailieni
partitive
cocktailiani
cocktailejani
inessive
cocktailissani
cocktaileissani
elative
cocktailistani
cocktaileistani
illative
cocktailiini
cocktaileihini
adessive
cocktailillani
cocktaileillani
ablative
cocktaililtani
cocktaileiltani
allative
cocktaililleni
cocktaileilleni
essive
cocktailinani
cocktaileinani
translative
cocktailikseni
cocktaileikseni
abessive
cocktailittani
cocktaileittani
instructive
comitative
—cocktaileineni
second-person singular possessor
singular
plural
nominative
cocktailisi
cocktailisi
accusative
nom.
cocktailisi
cocktailisi
gen.
cocktailisi
genitive
cocktailisi
cocktailiesi
partitive
cocktailiasi
cocktailejasi
inessive
cocktailissasi
cocktaileissasi
elative
cocktailistasi
cocktaileistasi
illative
cocktailiisi
cocktaileihisi
adessive
cocktailillasi
cocktaileillasi
ablative
cocktaililtasi
cocktaileiltasi
allative
cocktailillesi
cocktaileillesi
essive
cocktailinasi
cocktaileinasi
translative
cocktailiksesi
cocktaileiksesi
abessive
cocktailittasi
cocktaileittasi
instructive
comitative
—cocktaileinesi
first-person plural possessor
singular
plural
nominative
cocktailimme
cocktailimme
accusative
nom.
cocktailimme
cocktailimme
gen.
cocktailimme
genitive
cocktailimme
cocktailiemme
partitive
cocktailiamme
cocktailejamme
inessive
cocktailissamme
cocktaileissamme
elative
cocktailistamme
cocktaileistamme
illative
cocktailiimme
cocktaileihimme
adessive
cocktailillamme
cocktaileillamme
ablative
cocktaililtamme
cocktaileiltamme
allative
cocktailillemme
cocktaileillemme
essive
cocktailinamme
cocktaileinamme
translative
cocktailiksemme
cocktaileiksemme
abessive
cocktailittamme
cocktaileittamme
instructive
comitative
—cocktaileinemme
second-person plural possessor
singular
plural
nominative
cocktailinne
cocktailinne
accusative
nom.
cocktailinne
cocktailinne
gen.
cocktailinne
genitive
cocktailinne
cocktailienne
partitive
cocktailianne
cocktailejanne
inessive
cocktailissanne
cocktaileissanne
elative
cocktailistanne
cocktaileistanne
illative
cocktailiinne
cocktaileihinne
adessive
cocktailillanne
cocktaileillanne
ablative
cocktaililtanne
cocktaileiltanne
allative
cocktailillenne
cocktaileillenne
essive
cocktailinanne
cocktaileinanne
translative
cocktailiksenne
cocktaileiksenne
abessive
cocktailittanne
cocktaileittanne
instructive
comitative
—cocktaileinenne
third-person possessor
singular
plural
nominative
cocktailinsa
cocktailinsa
accusative
nom.
cocktailinsa
cocktailinsa
gen.
cocktailinsa
genitive
cocktailinsa
cocktailiensa
partitive
cocktailiaan cocktailiansa
cocktailejaan cocktailejansa
inessive
cocktailissaan cocktailissansa
cocktaileissaan cocktaileissansa
elative
cocktailistaan cocktailistansa
cocktaileistaan cocktaileistansa
illative
cocktailiinsa
cocktaileihinsa
adessive
cocktailillaan cocktailillansa
cocktaileillaan cocktaileillansa
ablative
cocktaililtaan cocktaililtansa
cocktaileiltaan cocktaileiltansa
allative
cocktaililleen cocktailillensa
cocktaileilleen cocktaileillensa
essive
cocktailinaan cocktailinansa
cocktaileinaan cocktaileinansa
translative
cocktailikseen cocktailiksensa
cocktaileikseen cocktaileiksensa
abessive
cocktailittaan cocktailittansa
cocktaileittaan cocktaileittansa
instructive
comitative
—cocktaileineen cocktaileinensa :

#### Synonyms

* juomasekoitus
* kimara

#### Derived terms

* alkucocktail
* cocktailkastike
* cocktailkirsikka
* cocktailkurkku
* cocktailkutsut
* cocktaillasi
* cocktailleipä
* cocktail-mekko
* cocktailpala
* cocktailravistin
* cocktailtikku
* cocktailtilaisuus

### Further reading

* “cocktail”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎ (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2023-07-02

## French
### Etymology

Borrowed from English cocktail, which is of unclear origin.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /kɔk.tɛl/
* Audio:(file)

### Noun

cocktail m (plural cocktails)
* cocktail
** 1977 December 17, “Personal advertisement”, in Gay Community News, volume 5, number 24, page 14:J’espere que vous accepteriez cette invitation extraordinaire au voyage! Si vous voulez un rapport de qualite avec un homme mur et debonnair. Je propose, au debut, des cocktails dans une ambiance elegante pour une recontre joyeuse.(please add an English translation of this quotation)
* (metonymically) cocktail party
* a mixture or combination of things
    Un cocktail de médicamentsa combination of prescription drugs

#### Derived terms

* cocktail de crevettes
* cocktail dînatoire
* cocktail météo
* cocktail Molotov

#### Descendants

* → Vietnamese: cốc tai

### Further reading

* “cocktail”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

## Italian
### Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English cocktail, which is of unclear origin.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈkɔk.tel/
* Rhymes: -ɔktel

### Noun

cocktail m (invariable)
* cocktail
* cocktail party

### References

* ↑ cocktail in Luciano Canepari, Dizionario di Pronuncia Italiana (DiPI)

## Norwegian Bokmål
### Etymology

From English cocktail.

### Noun

cocktail m (definite singular cocktailen, indefinite plural cocktailer, definite plural cocktailene)
* cocktail

### References

* “cocktail” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

## Norwegian Nynorsk
### Etymology

From English cocktail.

### Noun

cocktail m (definite singular cocktailen, indefinite plural cocktailar, definite plural cocktailane)
* cocktail

### References

* “cocktail” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

## Romanian
### Alternative forms

* cocteil

### Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English cocktail or French cocktail.

### Noun

cocktail n (plural cocktailuri)
* cocktail

#### Declension
## Spanish
### Noun

cocktail m (plural cocktails or cocktail)
* Alternative spelling of cóctel

## Swedish
### Etymology

Borrowed from English cocktail. First attested in 1847.

### Noun

cocktail c
* a cocktail (mixed alcoholic drink)
    blanda en cocktailmix a cocktail
* a cocktail (dish)
    räkcocktailshrimp cocktail
* (figuratively) a cocktail (mix)
    en cocktail av läkemedela cocktail of drugs

#### Derived terms

* cocktailparty
* cocktailpåse
* molotovcocktail

#### See also

* drink

### References

* cocktail in Svensk ordbok (SO)
* cocktail in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
* cocktail in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)

## Vietnamese
### Alternative forms

* cốc tay

### Etymology

From English cocktail, which is of unclear origin.

### Pronunciation

* (Hà Nội) IPA: [kok̚˧˦ taːj˧˧]
* (Huế) IPA: [kok̚˦˧˥ taːj˧˧]
* (Saigon) IPA: [kok̚˦˥ taːj˧˧]
* Phonetic spelling: côốc tai

### Noun

cocktail
* cocktail

#### See also

* rượu cốctay