pastis

noun

pas·​tis pä-ˈstēs How to pronounce pastis (audio)
: a French liqueur flavored with aniseed

Examples of pastis in a Sentence

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.
To drink: an aperitif of anise-scented pastis, or a Suntory highball? — Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 12 Jan. 2025 Gainsbourg, who smoked five packs of unfiltered Gitanes cigarettes a day and was rarely seen without a glass of pastis in hand near the end of his life, died from his second heart attack in the bedroom upstairs. — Catherine Bennett, Washington Post, 25 Sep. 2023

Word History

Etymology

French, from French dialect (Marseilles), literally, jumble, kind of pastry, from Occitan, from Old Occitan pastitz cake, from Vulgar Latin *pasticium

First Known Use

1926, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of pastis was in 1926

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Cite this Entry

“Pastis.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pastis. Accessed 10 Mar. 2025.

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