schnapps

[shnahps, shnaps] /ʃnɑps, ʃnæps/
noun
1.
(in Europe) any strong, dry spirit, as slivovitz, aquavit, or kirsch.
2.
a drink of schnapps.
Also, schnaps.
Origin
1810-20; < German, < Dutch or Low German snaps literally, gulp, mouthful, derivative of snappen to snap
Can be confused
schnapps, snaps.
Examples from the web for schnapps
  • The mayor of the tidy nearby town brought out souvenir bottles of schnapps.
  • Peasants gave him baskets of eggs and swigs of raspberry schnapps.
  • Some reports note that they had decorated some evergreen trees and drank large amounts of schnapps and beer.
British Dictionary definitions for schnapps

schnapps

/ʃnæps/
noun
1.
a Dutch spirit distilled from potatoes
2.
(in Germany) any strong spirit
Word Origin
C19: from German Schnaps, from schnappen to snap
Word Origin and History for schnapps
n.

1818, kind of Holland gin, from German Schnaps, literally "a mouthful, gulp," from Low German snaps, from snappen "to snap" (see snap (v.)). For sense, cf. nip for "alcoholic drink quickly taken."