IN GREEK
ρακί
raki
distilled spirit, often grape based
IN TURKISH
rakı
rakı
anise flavoured spirit
WEAR THE WORD
ρακί in blue ink and rakı in red, on a T shirt, a tote or a mug.
THE RECORD
- LENT BY, BORROWED BY
- Turkish to Greek
- STARTED IN
- Arabic
- CATEGORY
- Food
- HOW THE MEANING DRIFTED
- Greek ρακί/ρακή frequently means a grape pomace distillate without anise; Turkish rakı is typically anise flavoured.
COMMENTS
An editor reads every comment before it appears.
SOURCES
- Triantafyllidis, Lexiko tis Koinis Neoellinikis, entry ρακί www.greek-language.gr
- Nişanyan Sözlük (checked online)
Etymologies are checked against the dictionaries and studies listed. An entry is stamped settled only when both the Greek and the Turkish side have been checked. Research for this ledger was compiled with AI assistance and reviewed by the editors.
HOW TO CITE THIS ENTRY
Gold, K. (ed.) (2026) ‘ρακί / rakı’, entry 063, Defter ή Tefteri: a ledger of shared Greek and Turkish words. https://defteritefteri.com/en/w/063-raki/. Accessed [day month year].