The story
- Medieval Latin · derived fromaqua vītae
- French · borrowed fromeau-de-vie“water of life”
- English todayeau de vie
From French eau-de-vie (“water of life”), calque of Medieval Latin aqua vītae. Compare akvavit, aquavit, aqua vitae, whisky, whiskey, and water of life from the same source.
Words from the same roots
Frencheau-de-vie all →
Medieval Latinaqua vītae all →
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.