Meanings
plural malvoisies · alternative malvesie · alternative malvesey
- countableuncountableSynonym of malmsey (“wine”).
Adrian stood and refilled Shelagh's glass. ‘A little more malvoisie for you?’
1991, Stephen Fry, chapter XIV, in Liar2 more examples
Now this Malvoisie has a body, and slips down the red lane with an unctuous savour; […]
1852, The Royalist and the Republican, volume 1, page 108There, gifts were exchanged […] and Philip's mistrels performed in front of the king's mother who sat, appreciative, her customary glass of malvesey to hand.
2011, Thomas Penn, Winter King, Penguin, published 2012, page 217Synonyms: malmsey
Synonyms & antonyms
nounSynonym of malmsey (“wine”).
Origin
- Ancient GreekΜονεμβασία“Monemvasia”
- Italianmalvasia
- Middle Frenchmalvoisie
- Anglo-Normanmalvesey
- Middle Englishmalvesye
- Englishmalvoisie
From Middle English malvesye, malvesyn, from Anglo-Norman malvesey, malvoisin and Middle French malvoisie (which the modern form is influenced by), from Italian malvasia, from Ancient Greek Μονεμβασία (Monembasía, “Monemvasia”, a city on the Peloponnese), from μόνος (mónos, “only one”) + ἔμβασις (émbasis, “entering into”, ἐν + βάσις). Doublet of malvasia and Monemvasia. Compare malmsey.
More words from Middle English, Anglo-Norman, Middle French
Full word history & related roots →Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with malvoisie
All rhymes →Cite this entry
malvoisie. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/malvoisie
“malvoisie.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/malvoisie. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “malvoisie,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/malvoisie.
Source: malvoisie on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.