Meanings
plural rakijas · alternative rakia
- countableuncountableA strong distilled alcoholic beverage made from various fruits, varieties of which (such as slivovitz) are found across the Balkans and the Mediterranean.
As in most Balkan countries rakija (pronounced 'RAK-eeyah') is the national drink of Macedonia. While rakija in the surrounding countries is made mainly from fruits such as plums (slivovice) or pears (viljemovka), Macedonian rakija is exclusively made from grapes.
2012, Thammy Evans, Macedonia, 4th edition, Bradt Travel Guides, →ISBN, page 306Synonyms: pálenka
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA strong distilled alcoholic beverage made from various fruits, varieties of which (such as slivovitz) are found across the Balkans and the Mediterranean.
Origin
- Arabicعَرَق“sweat; wine”
- Ottoman Turkishراقی
- Serbo-Croatianrakija
- Englishrakija
Borrowed from Serbo-Croatian rakija/ракија, from Ottoman Turkish راقی (rakı), assumed from Arabic عَرَق (ʕaraq, “sweat; wine”) (as rakija or wine vapor drops are similar to drops of sweat). Doublet of raki.
More words from Serbo-Croatian, Ottoman Turkish, Arabic
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian раки́я
- раки́я (rakíja)strong alcoholic drink
French rakia
- rakiastrong alcoholic drink
Greek ρακή, ρακί
- ρακή (rakí)strong alcoholic drink
- ρακί (rakí)strong alcoholic drink
Hungarian pálinka
- pálinkastrong alcoholic drink
Italian rakia
- rakiastrong alcoholic drink
Polish rakija
- rakijastrong alcoholic drink
Romanian rachiu
- rachiustrong alcoholic drink
Russian ра́кия
- ра́кия (rákija)strong alcoholic drink
Turkish rakı
- rakıstrong alcoholic drink
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
rakija. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rakija
“rakija.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rakija. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “rakija,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rakija.
Source: rakija on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.