cider

noun

ci·​der ˈsī-dər How to pronounce cider (audio)
1
: fermented apple juice often made sparkling by carbonation or fermentation in a sealed container
2
: the expressed juice of fruit (such as apples) used as a beverage or for making other products (such as applejack)

Examples of cider in a Sentence

a cup of apple cider
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
My drinks of choice are typically fruity cocktails, wine and cider, in that order. —Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 18 Apr. 2025 Manhattan Beer employees supply bars, restaurants, delis and groceries throughout New York City, Westchester, Long Island and the Hudson Valley with beer, wine and cider with their fleet of 350 trucks. —Ellen Moynihan, New York Daily News, 17 Apr. 2025 Thousands have picked their spot to watch the race already and line this entire section of the route, drinking cans of cider and eating pastries. —Tim Spiers, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2025 Experts recommend no more than 20 milliliters (2 tablespoons) of apple cider per day, well diluted in water. —Robert Burakoff, Verywell Health, 7 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for cider

Word History

Etymology

Middle English sider, sedyr, cidre "alcoholic drink (in Biblical translations and references), cider," borrowed from Anglo-French sizre, ciser, cydre, going back to Gallo-Romance *cīsera, by metathesis form of Late Latin (Vulgate) sīcera "alcoholic drink," borrowed from Greek (Septuagint) síkera, borrowed from Hebrew shēkhār, from a Semitic base š-k-r, whence Hebrew shākhar "become drunk," Arabic sikara

Note: The medieval French form sizre is attested once, in the 12th-century Cambridge, or Eadwine Psalter, where it appears as a translation of the Latin siceram in Psalm 68:14 (the Vulgate has vinum in this passage). (For other medieval outcomes and modern dialect forms see Französisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, v. 11, pp. 589-90.) Presumably *cīs(ĕ)ra yielded *tsizdra, which with loss of the internal sibilant yielded cidre (see Pierre Fouché, Phonétique historique du français, vol. 3 [Paris: Klincksieck, 1966], p. 822). Latin sīcera and its vernacular outcomes were likely disseminated and applied to the fermented juice of fruit, especially apples, in monasteries, particularly in non-wine-producing areas of Europe such as Normandy; Norman localization would also account for the thorough penetration of the word into Anglo-French.

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of cider was in the 13th century

Phrases Containing cider

Rhymes for cider

See All Rhymes for cider

Browse Nearby Words

Cid, El
cider
cider apple
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Cite this Entry

“Cider.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cider. Accessed 23 Apr. 2025.

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Kids Definition

cider

noun
ci·​der ˈsīd-ər How to pronounce cider (audio)
: the juice pressed out of fruit (as apples) and used especially as a drink and in the making of vinegar

More from Merriam-Webster on cider

Nglish: Translation of cider for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about cider

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