Etymology

strong water

Today it means: A strong solvent, (particularly) nitric acid. Full definition →

First used 15th c.Latin aqua fortis
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The story

  1. Latin · calque ofaqua fortis
  2. English todaystrong water

Calque of Latin aqua fortis, named for their ability to dissolve metals.

Words from the same roots

Latinaqua fortis all →

aqua fortis

First known use, by meaning

  • from 15th c. A strong solvent, (particularly) nitric acid.
  • from 17th c. A strong drink, (particularly) distilled spirits.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.