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wine
/waɪn/
The word carries a strong association with sophistication, ritual, and leisure. Unlike "beer" or "spirits," wine is often linked to dining, culture, and a slower pace of consumption. In a social context, it suggests a level of refinement or luxury. While it can be consumed casually, the language surrounding it (e.g., "vintage," "notes," "bouquet") often leans toward an appreciative or connoisseur-like perspective. As a verb, it is almost exclusively used in the phrase "wine and dine," which shifts the focus from the drink itself to the act of lavish hospitality and impression-making.
💬Trò chuyện
DAVID DO WE HAVE ANY WINE LEFT FOR THE BRIDGE CLUB?
Mom, I'm tied up in a meeting. Just check the pantry.
Ý nghĩa
Ví dụ
Pass me that bottle of red wine, please.
I think this white wine has gone sour, honestly.
Seriously? You're going to wine and dine her now?
Excuse me, this wine tastes like actual vinegar!
Who invited the guy who drinks elderberry wine anyway?
Just pour some more wine and stop complaining, okay?
Does this sparkling wine contain any real fruit juice?
Cụm từ kết hợp
red wine
Wine made from dark-colored grape varieties.
He poured a glass of red wine.
white wine
Wine made from pale or green-colored grape varieties.
She prefers white wine with fish.
house wine
The wine served by a restaurant that is not a specific brand.
The house wine was surprisingly good.
dessert wine
A sweet wine typically served with dessert.
Would you like a dessert wine?
sparkling wine
Wine that contains a significant amount of carbon dioxide, making it effervescent.
We celebrated with sparkling wine.
Cụm động từ
wine down
To relax, especially at the end of the day.
Let's just wine down with a movie.
Thành ngữ & Tục ngữ
in vino veritas
In wine there is truth; people are more likely to speak their true thoughts when drunk.
He confessed everything after a few glasses; in vino veritas.
wine and dine
To entertain someone lavishly with food and drink.
He planned to wine and dine her all weekend.
a fine wine
Something that improves or becomes more valuable with age.
She's like a fine wine, getting better with age.
Bối cảnh văn hóa
To speak of wine is not merely to discuss a beverage, but to trace the very veins of human history and spirituality. In the ancient world, wine was far more than a social lubricant; it was a bridge between the mundane and the divine. At the center of this connection stood Dionysus (or Bacchus to the Romans), the god of wine, madness, and religious ecstasy. To the Greeks, the consumption of wine—especially when undiluted—was an invitation for the 'divine madness' to take hold, allowing the soul to break free from the rigid constraints of societal norms and reconnect with a primal, chaotic energy.
The dichotomy of wine is perhaps its most fascinating psychological aspect. It represents both the pinnacle of human sophistication (the art of viticulture, the nuance of terroir, and the complexity of tasting notes) and the depths of human vulnerability. This duality is mirrored in the 'symposium,' the Greek tradition of drinking parties where wine served as the catalyst for deep philosophical inquiry and political debate. The goal was not intoxication for its own sake, but a state of 'controlled liberation' where the mind could wander into territories that sobriety forbade.
Beyond the myths, the science of wine reveals a mirrored complexity in nature. The process of fermentation is essentially a biological alchemy, turning simple sugars into an elixir that can age for decades, evolving in flavor as it interacts with oxygen. This ability to 'improve with age' has made wine a powerful metaphor in literature and psychology for wisdom, maturity, and the beauty of time passing.
From the sacred rituals of the Eucharist in Christianity to the refined cellars of Bordeaux, wine continues to act as a cultural anchor. It is one of the few substances that can simultaneously evoke images of a rustic peasant's vineyard and the opulent halls of royalty. Ultimately, our obsession with wine is an obsession with transformation—the transformation of fruit into spirit, and the transformation of a simple meal into a transcendental experience.
Từ nguyên
The word 'wine' traces its origins back to Proto-Indo-European, the reconstructed ancestor of many European and Indian languages. The reconstructed word is believed to be something like 'woinos'. This word likely passed into Proto-Italic, the ancestor of Latin, as 'woinos'. From Latin, it evolved into 'vīnum'. The influence of Greek 'οἶνος' (oinos) is also evident, and both Greek and Latin terms may have shared a common, even older, Semitic source, possibly related to the Phoenician word 'wayin' or 'wain'. The Latin 'vīnum' was borrowed into Vulgar Latin and then into the various Romance languages. In Old French, it became 'vin', which was then adopted into Old English around the 7th century as 'wīn'. Over time, the pronunciation shifted, leading to the modern English spelling and pronunciation of 'wine'. The journey of the word mirrors the spread of viticulture and winemaking across Europe and beyond, carried by trade, conquest, and cultural exchange.