Etymograph

English

vodka

Vodka comes from Russian вода́ ‘water’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *wed-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*wed-1‘water’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*wódr̥1‘water’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Balto-Slavicc. 2000–500 BCE*wandō1‘water’reconstructed
  4. Proto-Slavicc. 400–900 CE*voda1‘water’reconstructed
  5. Old East Slavicmodernвода1voda‘water’
  6. Russianmodernвода́1vodá‘water’
  7. Russianmodernво́дка1vódka
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1932vodka1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English vodka
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1932, Maurice Baring: “Eurydice pointed to the cupboard, and sat down on…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*wed-Wiktionary, English vodka‘water’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*wódr̥Wiktionary, English vodka‘water’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Balto-Slavicc. 2000–500 BCE*wandōWiktionary, English vodka‘water’reconstructed
  4. Proto-Slavicc. 400–900 CE*vodaWiktionary, English vodka‘water’reconstructed
  5. Old East SlavicmodernводаWiktionary, English vodkavoda‘water’
  6. Russianmodernвода́Wiktionary, English vodkavodá‘water’
  7. Russianmodernво́дкаWiktionary, English vodkavódka
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1932vodkaWiktionary, English vodka. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1932, Maurice Baring: “Eurydice pointed to the cupboard, and sat down on…”

The story

The archaic Russian name for vodka was хле́бное вино́ (xlébnoje vinó, “grain wine”); V. Pokhlyobkin's research suggests the present name derived from expressions concerning the dilution of the initial pure distilled spirit such as "vodka of grain wine".

Full etymology on Wiktionary

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *wed- ‘water’

wet, wash, und, abundance, surround, abundant, redundant, otter, vitriol, vitreous, anhydrous, inundate, undine, 43 more

through Proto-Indo-European *wódr̥ ‘water’

water, hydro, hydrate, hydride, aldehyde, vedra, 19 more

Today it means

noun A clear distilled alcoholic liquor made from grain mash.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “vodka”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *wed- / vodka

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