absinthe

A1B3S1I1N1T1H4E1
/ˈæb.sɪnθ//ˈæb.sænθ//ˈæb.sæ̃θ/

noun

The herb absinthium Artemisia absinthium (grande wormwood); essence of wormwood.

Similar
green fairyabsinthe greencommon wormwoodold manlad's loveArtemisia absinthiumabsinth
Less commonFirst used 1350–1470Scrabble 13Word of the Day · Aug 3, 2022

Meanings

nounabsinthe (countable and uncountable, plural absinthes)

plural absinthes · alternative absinth · alternative absynthe

  1. countableuncountableThe herb absinthium Artemisia absinthium (grande wormwood); essence of wormwood.First known use 1350–1470
  2. countablefigurativelyuncountableBitterness; sorrow.First known use 1350–1470
  3. countableuncountableA distilled, highly alcoholic, anise-flavored liquor originally made from grande wormwood, anise, and other herbs.First known use mid 19ᵗʰ c.

    Absinthe ads like to trade on artists like Van Gogh and Toulouse-Lautrec, as if the history of the green fairy began in the Pigalle neighborhood of 1870s Paris, but wormwood-infused drinks have been around for thousands of years.

    2010, Paul Owens, Paul Nathan, The Little Green Book of Absinthe, Penguin, →ISBN
    1 more example

    Let us go out and drink to the very good health of Monsieur Tarzan in some of old Plancon’s unparalleled absinth; not forgetting that the Count de Coude is one of the best swordsmen in Paris, and by far the best shot in all France.

    1913 June–December, Edgar Rice Burroughs, “The Plot That Failed”, in The Return of Tarzan, New York, N.Y.: A[lbert] L[evi] Burt Company, […], published March 1915, →OCLC, page 63

    Synonyms: green fairy

  4. countableuncountableA moderate yellow green.First known use late 19ᵗʰ c.

    Synonyms: absinthe green

  5. A moderate yellow green. absinthe green:
    1. countableuncountableabsinthe greenFirst known use late 19ᵗʰ c.

      Synonyms: absinthe green

  6. UScountableuncountableSagebrush.

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA distilled, highly alcoholic, anise-flavored liquor originally made from grande wormwood, anise, and other herbs.

nounA moderate yellow green.

nounabsinthe green

More synonyms by meaning

nounaromatic herb of temperate Eurasia and North Africa having a bitter taste used in making the liqueur absinthe

Similar
common wormwoodold manlad's loveArtemisia absinthium
Broader

nounstrong green liqueur flavored with wormwood and anise

Similar

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Ancient Greekἀψίνθιον“wormwood”
  2. Latinabsinthium
  3. Middle Frenchabsinthe
  4. Frenchabsinthe
  5. Middle Englishabsinthe
  6. Englishabsinthe

* (wormwood; figuratively bitterness, sorrow): From Middle English absinthe. * (liquor): From Modern French absinthe. Both from Middle French absinthe, from Latin absinthium, from Ancient Greek ἀψίνθιον (apsínthion, “wormwood”). Doublet of absinthium.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Ancient Greek ἀψίνθιον
  • ἀψίνθιον (apsínthion)herb Artemisia absinthium
Bulgarian пели́н, абсе́нт
  • пели́н (pelín)herb Artemisia absinthium
  • абсе́нт (absént)liquor
Catalan donzell, absenta
  • donzellherb Artemisia absinthium
  • absentaliquor
Chinese Mandarin 苦艾, 苦艾酒
  • 苦艾 (kǔ'ài)herb Artemisia absinthium
  • 苦艾酒 (kǔ'àijiǔ)liquor
Czech pelyněk, absinth
  • pelyněkherb Artemisia absinthium
  • absinthliquor
  • absintliquor
Danish absint
  • absintliquor
Dutch alsem, absintalsem
  • alsemherb Artemisia absinthium
  • absintalsemherb Artemisia absinthium
  • absintliquor
Esperanto absinto, absintaĵo
  • absintoherb Artemisia absinthium
  • absintaĵoliquor
Estonian koirohi, absint
  • koirohiherb Artemisia absinthium
  • absintliquor
Finnish koiruoho, mali
  • koiruohoherb Artemisia absinthium
  • maliherb Artemisia absinthium
  • absinttiliquor
French armoise, absinthe
  • armoiseherb Artemisia absinthium
  • absintheherb Artemisia absinthium
  • absintheliquor
German Wermut, Absinth
  • Wermutherb Artemisia absinthium
  • Absinthliquor
  • Wermutbranntweinliquor
Greek αψιθιά, αψέντι
  • αψιθιά (apsithiá)herb Artemisia absinthium
  • αψέντι (apsénti)liquor
Hebrew אָבְּסִינְתְ
  • אָבְּסִינְתְ (absint)liquor
Hungarian fehér üröm, abszint
  • fehér ürömherb Artemisia absinthium
  • abszintliquor
Icelandic malurtarbrennivín
  • malurtarbrennivínliquor
Irish apsaint, apsaint
  • apsaintherb Artemisia absinthium
  • apsaintliquor
Italian assenzio, assenzio
  • assenzioherb Artemisia absinthium
  • assenzioliquor
Japanese 苦蓬, アブサン
  • 苦蓬 (nigayomogi)herb Artemisia absinthium
  • アブサン (abusan)liquor
Korean 향쑥, 압생트
  • 향쑥 (hyangssuk)herb Artemisia absinthium
  • 압생트 (apsaengteu)liquor
Latvian absints
  • absintsliquor
Lithuanian absentas
  • absentasliquor
Norwegian Bokmål malurt, absint
  • malurtherb Artemisia absinthium
  • absintliquor
Persian افسنتین
  • افسنتین (afsentin)herb Artemisia absinthium
Polish piołun, absynt
  • piołunherb Artemisia absinthium
  • absyntliquor
  • piołunówkaliquor
  • zielona wróżkaliquor
Portuguese absinto, absinto
  • absintoherb Artemisia absinthium
  • absintoliquor
Romanian pelin, absint
  • pelinherb Artemisia absinthium
  • absintliquor
Russian полы́нь, абсе́нт
  • полы́нь (polýnʹ)herb Artemisia absinthium
  • абсе́нт (absɛ́nt)liquor
Slovak palina pravá
  • palina praváherb Artemisia absinthium
Spanish ajenjo, ajenjo
  • ajenjoherb Artemisia absinthium
  • ajenjoliquor
  • absintioliquor
Swedish malört, absint
  • malörtherb Artemisia absinthium
  • absintliquor
Tamil மருக்கொழுந்து
  • மருக்கொழுந்து (marukkoḻuntu)herb Artemisia absinthium
Turkish absent
  • absentliquor
Ukrainian полин гіркий, абсе́нт
  • полин гіркий (polyn hirkyj)herb Artemisia absinthium
  • абсе́нт (absént)liquor
Welsh absinth
  • absinthliquor
Yiddish אַבסינט
  • אַבסינט (absint)liquor

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

Cite this entry
APA

absinthe. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/absinthe

MLA

“absinthe.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/absinthe. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “absinthe,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/absinthe.

Source: absinthe on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.