arzente

arzente is an Italian term for brandy, derived from the medieval acqua arzente, “burning water,” which was in turn derived from the Latin aqua ardens. See aguardiente. The term, which had been dormant, was resurrected in 1921, when the Italian Distillers’ Association asked the poet Gabriele D’Annunzio (1863–1938) to come up with a replacement for cognac, then used in Italy to designate domestic aged grape brandy. See coñac. D’Annunzio chose arzente not only for its historical resonance but also because it was a cognate to arzillo, “sprightly” or “tipsy,” and “also ‘the idea of ardor,’ ” as was reported at the time.

While Italian brandy is no longer called “cognac,” neither is it frequently called “arzente.” Under Mussolini’s Fascists, such linguistic purification later became a government policy, forcing such substitutions as arlecchino, “harlequin,” for “cocktail”; bottiglieria, “bottle shop,” for “bar”; and another of D’Annunzio’s, sangue morlacco, “Morlach blood,” for “cherry brandy” (Morlacchia being the region in Dalmatia where the spirit originated). This ended up rather tainting the whole idea.

See also brandy.

“D’Annunzio Turns His Guns on the Dictionary.” New York Herald, October 16, 1921, 22.

“Minor Notes.” The Living Age, October 15, 1921, 129.

By: David Wondrich