What does digestif mean?
A digestif is an alcoholic drink consumed after a meal, traditionally believed to help digestion. Digestifs are commonly herbal, bittersweet, or fortified liqueurs and spirits — such as amaro, Cognac, brandy, sweet vermouth, or herbal elixirs like Bénédictine — though the category is defined by timing rather than any single style. The word comes directly from French, where it means 'digestive', reflecting the long-standing folk idea that certain bitters and botanicals settle the stomach. Digestifs occupy a place of quiet ceremony at the end of fine dining: served neat, in small pours, often slowly sipped alongside conversation. They are the mirror image of the aperitif, which is drunk before a meal to whet the appetite. The word is most at home in gastronomic and hospitality contexts, lending any sentence a touch of refinement. For anyone interested in wine lists, menus, or European dining culture, it is an indispensable term.
nounA drink, typically alcoholic and often herbal or bitter, consumed after a meal to aid digestion.
- An alcoholic drink, usually herbal, bittersweet, or fortified, taken after a meal in the belief that it aids digestion.
"After the long dinner, our host poured each guest a small glass of Fernet-Branca as a digestif."
"The waiter offered us a digestif from the trolley — cognac, amaro, or a sweet sherry."
"In Italy, no festive meal feels complete without an amaro served as a digestif."
Standard countable plural, used when referring to multiple drinks of this kind or to the category generally.
"The bar's back shelf is stocked almost entirely with Italian digestifs."
The word 'digestif' is simply French for 'digestive' — English borrowed it whole, along with the habit of sipping something bitter after dinner.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of digestif
Digestif was borrowed from French, where it functions as both an adjective meaning 'aiding digestion' and a noun for a post-meal drink. The French word derives from Latin 'digestivus', from 'digere' ('to divide, dissolve, digest'), ultimately from Latin 'gerere' via 'digerere' ('to separate, carry apart'). It entered English in the twentieth century as dining culture internationalized, joining its older sibling 'aperitif', which had been adopted from French much earlier. Its cognates include the native English words 'digest', 'digestion', and 'digestive'.
How digestif is actually used
The word carries a refined, gastronomic register and appears most often in writing about food, wine, and restaurant culture. It is a countable noun with plural 'digestifs'. It is frequently contrasted with 'aperitif', its pre-meal counterpart. The pronunciation with /dɪ-/ (as in 'digest') is common in British English; American speakers may use /daɪ-/.
Easily confused with digestif
An aperitif is drunk before a meal to stimulate the appetite, whereas a digestif is drunk after a meal to aid digestion.