koumiss

noun

kou·​miss kü-ˈmis How to pronounce koumiss (audio) ˈkü-məs How to pronounce koumiss (audio)
variants or kumiss
: a beverage of fermented mare's milk made originally by the nomadic peoples of central Asia

Word History

Etymology

Russian kumys, of Turkic origin; akin to Turkish kımız koumiss

First Known Use

1607, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of koumiss was in 1607

Dictionary Entries Near koumiss

koulan

koumiss

kouprey

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Koumiss.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/koumiss. Accessed 9 Dec. 2023.

Copy Citation

Share

More from Merriam-Webster on koumiss

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about koumiss

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Games & Quizzes

Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game You can make only 12 words. Pick the best ones!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A crossword with a twist
winning words from the national spelling bee logo
Spelling Bee Quiz Can you outdo past winners of the National Spelli...