Etymology

root beer

Today it means: A beverage, most often a carbonated soft drink, traditionally made from a combination of vanilla, cherry tree bark, licorice root, sarsaparilla root, sassafras root bark, nutmeg, anise, and molasses, among other flavorings. Full definition →

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The story

The term is attested since before the lifetime of Charles Elmer Hires, but he is widely credited with popularizing it much further than it had previously been; his proprietary beverage was inspired by an earlier root tea, and he planned to sell it under that name, but he changed its name to broaden the sales appeal. For more, see Wikipedia at root beer § History.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.