What does cider mean?
Cider is a beverage made by pressing apples and using their juice, which may be consumed fresh or fermented into an alcoholic drink. The word's meaning depends largely on where you are: in Britain and much of Europe, cider refers specifically to the fermented, mildly alcoholic product, while in North America 'cider' usually means unfiltered, unsweetened fresh apple juice — darker and more tangy than commercial apple juice — with the alcoholic version explicitly labeled 'hard cider.' Cider carries warm seasonal connotations, evoking autumn harvests, orchards, mulled drinks spiced with cinnamon, and rural tradition. It appears in everyday phrases such as 'apple cider vinegar,' a pantry staple prized in cooking, and 'cider press,' the device used to extract the juice. Whether sipped sweet or fermented dry, cider remains one of the most culturally rooted of fruit beverages, with a history stretching back millennia across Europe and the Middle East.
nounA beverage made from pressed apples, typically fermented and alcoholic in British usage, while in North America the unfermented juice is called cider (or sweet cider) and the alcoholic version is called hard cider.
- An alcoholic drink made from fermented apple juice, standard in British English.
- The unfermented pressed juice of apples, standard in North American usage ('sweet' or 'soft' cider), with the alcoholic form distinguished as 'hard cider'.
"On autumn weekends, the farm stand sold fresh cider alongside doughnuts and pumpkins."
"They warmed a pot of mulled cider on the stove while the guests arrived."
"Somerset has been famous for its farmhouse cider for centuries."
The plural is used mainly to refer to multiple varieties or servings of cider, such as on a menu or tasting list.
"The festival featured ciders from a dozen different orchards."
The word 'cider' traces back through Greek and Latin to a Hebrew word for strong drink — meaning the name of your favorite fall beverage is thousands of years old.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of cider
Cider entered Middle English in the late medieval period, borrowed from Old French 'cidre' (also appearing as 'sizdre'), which itself derives from Late Latin 'sicera.' That Latin term came from Greek 'sikera,' an intoxicating drink, ultimately borrowed from Hebrew 'shekar,' a general biblical word for strong drink. The Romance languages preserve close cognates, including French 'cidre,' Spanish 'sidra,' and Italian 'sidro,' all pointing back to this shared Mediterranean lineage rather than to any Germanic or Celtic source.
How cider is actually used
The key regional difference is fermentation: British 'cider' is always alcoholic, whereas Americans say 'cider' for fresh apple juice and add 'hard' when it contains alcohol. In casual American speech, 'cider' often connotes warm, seasonal autumn drinking.
Easily confused with cider
In American usage, apple juice is filtered, sweetened, and shelf-stable, while cider is rawer, cloudier, and more tart.