Cider

How to spell cider

5 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce cider

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does cider mean?

1. nounAn alcoholic drink made from fermented apple juice.
2. nounIn North American use, fresh unfiltered apple juice that has not been fermented.

Cider in a sentence

• The pub serves a crisp dry cider on tap.

• The farm stand sells fresh cider every autumn.

• She ordered a pint of cider at the bar.

• They warmed the cider with cinnamon sticks for the party.

Where does cider come from?

Language of origin: Hebrew

The word arrived in English in the early 1300s from the Old French sidre, which came from the Late Latin sicera, a term for any intoxicating drink. That Latin word was itself borrowed from the Greek sikera, which in turn rendered the Hebrew shekar, literally meaning 'strong drink' or 'liquor'. Because of this biblical chain, early English uses of the word could refer to any fermented or intoxicating beverage rather than specifically the apple drink. Over time English narrowed the meaning to the familiar pressed and fermented apple juice, and the apple sense became dominant by the late medieval period. An older spelling 'cyder' survived for centuries and still appears on some traditional labels, which is the main reason a writer might second-guess the modern 'i'.

How the word is built

• cider (single root, no affixes; from Latin sicera 'strong drink')