malmsey

Via Middle English malmesye from Middle Dutch malemeseye, from Italian via Old French, ultimately from Ancient Greek Μονεμβασία (Monembasía, “Monemvasia”, a city on the Peloponnese), from μόνος (mónos, “only one”) + ἔμβασις (émbasis, “entering into”, ἐν + βάσις). Doublet of malvoisie.

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈmɑːmzɪ/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈmɑ(l)mzi/

malmsey (countable and uncountable, plural malmseys)

1. A sweet fortified wine made in Madeira, originally from the malvasia grape.

   Synonym: malvoisie

   • 1624, Democritus Junior [pseudonym; Robert Burton], The Anatomy of Melancholy: […], 2nd edition, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Printed by John Lichfield and James Short, for Henry Cripps, →OCLC:

     , New York, published 2001, page 223:

     All black wines, over-hot, compound, strong, thick drinks, as muscadine, malmsey, alicant, rumney, brown bastard, metheglin, and the like […]

malmsey

1. Alternative form of malmesye