shebeen

[shuh-been] /ʃəˈbin/
noun, Scot., Irish English, South African.
1.
a tavern or house where liquor is sold illegally.
Origin
1780-90; < Irish síbín illicit whiskey, place where such whiskey is sold (ellipsis from teach síbín shebeen house), orig., a unit of measure < English chopin1
Examples from the web for shebeen
  • Had shebeen able to be there, that would have been brought out during the hearing.
British Dictionary definitions for shebeen

shebeen

/ʃɪˈbiːn/
noun
1.
(Irish & Scot, South African) a place where alcoholic drink is sold illegally
2.
(in Ireland) alcohol, esp home-distilled whiskey, sold without a licence
3.
(in South Africa) a place where Black African men engage in social drinking
4.
(in the US and Ireland) weak beer
Word Origin
C18: from Irish Gaelic síbín beer of poor quality
Word Origin and History for shebeen
n.

"cabin where unlicensed liquor is sold and drunk," 1781, chiefly in Ireland and Scotland, from Irish seibin "small mug," also "bad ale," diminutive of seibe "mug, bottle, liquid measure." The word immigrated and persisted in South African and West Indian English.