What does claret mean?
Claret is a noun denoting the red wine produced in the Bordeaux region of southwestern France. The word is used almost exclusively in British English; American speakers typically refer to such wine simply as Bordeaux or red wine. Historically, the name derives from the French 'clairet', which described a lighter, paler rosé-like wine that dominated English imports in the medieval period, though the modern term applies to the deeper, drier reds Bordeaux later became famous for. Beyond its literal sense, claret has taken on figurative uses: as a colour word describing a deep purplish-red, common in descriptions of clothing, paint, and design, and as a byword for a certain style of traditional, well-heeled Britishness. It appears frequently in phrases like 'a bottle of claret' and 'claret jug', and its associations with fine dining and old-money taste give it a subtly refined, sometimes nostalgic connotation.
A dry red wine, specifically one from the Bordeaux region of France.
"They celebrated with a vintage claret from Saint-Émilion."
Chiefly British; in North America the wine is usually called simply 'Bordeaux'.
A deep purplish-red colour resembling that of red wine.
"The armchairs were upholstered in velvet the colour of claret."
Often used attributively, as in 'claret-coloured'.
The plural typically refers either to multiple bottles or glasses of the wine or to several different claret wines being compared or served together.
"The tasting featured six outstanding clarets from left-bank châteaux."
The word claret comes from the French 'clairet', meaning a pale, light wine — so the deep-red 'claret' we know today is actually darker than what the word originally described!
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of claret
Claret entered Middle English in the late medieval period, borrowed from Anglo-Norman and Old French 'clairet', meaning a light, pale-red wine, itself derived from 'clair' ('clear, light') from the Latin 'clarus'. Originally the term referred to the thin, rosé-style wines exported from Bordeaux to England, but as Bordeaux winemaking shifted toward darker, fuller reds from the seventeenth century onward, 'claret' came to denote those wines instead. It shares the Latin root 'clarus' with English words such as 'clear', 'clarify', and 'declare'.
How claret is actually used
The term is markedly more common in British English than American English, where such wine is usually simply called 'Bordeaux' or 'red wine'. In Britain it carries connotations of tradition, refinement, and often affluence — it has long been associated with formal dining, gentleman's clubs, and university culture. As a colour term, 'claret' is well established in fashion and design contexts.
Easily confused with claret
A clarinet is a woodwind musical instrument, while claret is a red wine from Bordeaux.