malmsey

noun

malm·​sey ˈmäm-zē How to pronounce malmsey (audio) ˈmälm- How to pronounce malmsey (audio)
often capitalized
: the sweetest variety of Madeira wine

Examples of malmsey in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Cheap Madeira is generally made out of a blend of grapes, but the best bottles tend to come from four principal grapes in ascending order from driest to sweetest: sercial, verdelho, bual and malmsey, which is better known elsewhere as malvasia. Eric Asimov, New York Times, 22 Dec. 2016

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'malmsey.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English malmesey, from Medieval Latin Malmasia Monemvasia, village in Greece where a sweet wine was produced

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of malmsey was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near malmsey

Cite this Entry

“Malmsey.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/malmsey. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

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