arak

Definitions

1. Alternative spelling of Arak:
2. A city in Iran, the seat of Arak County's Central District and the capital of Markazi Province, formerly called Soltanabad
3. A clear, unsweetened aniseed-flavoured alcoholic drink, produced and consumed primarily in the Levant.
   uncountable, usually
4. A toothbrush tree (Salvadora persica).
   uncountable, usually
5. A city in Iran, the seat of Arak County's Central District and the capital of Markazi Province, formerly called Soltanabad.
6. A county of Iran, around the city
7. Alternative spelling of arrack (an alcoholic drink distilled from coconut palm flowers or sugar cane)
   alt-of, alternative, uncountable, usually
8. A county of Iran, around the city.

Equivalents

Examples

“A rite of the grape harvest⟳ in the Christian villages dotting the Lebanon mountain range[…] is the perfectly legal distillation of homemade arak. This smooth, cool, refreshing liquor, tasting of licorice with a soupçon of peppermint, remains the staple drink⟳ at Sunday lunch, an eat-till-you-drop extravaganza of small meze dishes.”

“In Lebanon they have⟳ arak, in Turkey raki, and they even make⟳ something similar in Saudi Arabia. This is not so surprising as the Arabs were probably the first people to distil alcohol; alcohol is an Arabic word. “Arak” means “sweat⟳” in Arabic, and describes the distillation process⟳ rather than what happens when you drink⟳ too much.”

“They use⟳ perfume freely, paint⟳ their eyes with kohl, and are constantly polishing their teeth with twigs of green arak-wood.”

CEFR level