What does vinous mean?
Vinous is a formal, elegant adjective for things associated with wine or possessing wine-like qualities. It can describe a beverage or ingredient made from wine, an aroma or flavor recalling wine, and especially the deep reddish-brown or red-purple color traditionally seen in red wine. In modern writing, “vinous” is especially common in descriptions of wine, food, color, and sometimes sound: a passage may be called “vinous” when it suggests richness and warmth associated with wine. The word carries a cultivated, literary tone and should not be treated as a synonym for “alcoholic”; something may have a vinous aroma without containing alcohol. Vinous is useful where “wine-like” alone would sound blunt or where the connection is more specific than an ordinary comparison. Its distant relatives include wine, vintage, vintner, vine, and vineyard, all reflecting the Latin vocabulary of grape cultivation and wine production.
adjectiveRelating to or resembling wine; having the characteristic color or character of wine.
- Relating to wine or having qualities resembling those of wine.
- Having the deep reddish-brown or red-purple color associated with wine.
"The dining room was softened by candlelight and the room's rich, vinous red walls."
"A vinous aroma drifted from the kitchen as the chef opened a bottle of Burgundy."
"She chose a linenshirt in a muted, vinous shade that complemented the burgundy curtains."
Vinous is wine’s own adjective: it can evoke wine itself, its aroma, or the deep red associated with it.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does vinous come from?
Vinous entered English in the early 17th century from Latin vīnosus, meaning “of or like wine,” an adjective formed from vīnus, meaning “wine.” Latin vīnus is also the source of English wine and, through Old French, of vintage and vintner. The wider family extends to vine and vineyard, reflecting the same ancient vocabulary of grape cultivation and wine production.
How vinous is actually used
Literary and specialist rather than everyday. It often conveys an elegant association with wine through color, aroma, or character, and should not be treated as a general synonym for “alcoholic.”
Easily confused with vinous
Vinous refers to wine or to wine's characteristic color or qualities, whereas vinic refers more directly to vines or grape plants.