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English Lexicon

Moonshine

/ˈmuːn.ʃaɪn/
nounCEFR C1 (Advanced)Top #14500 frequency
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Comprehensive Definitions & Senses

2 senses
As noun
  1. 1

    Illicitly distilled or smuggled alcoholic liquor, traditionally brewed secretly at night.

    "Local bootleggers were known for producing potent batches of homemade moonshine in the rural mountains."
  2. 2

    Foolish, empty, or preposterous talk, ideas, or claims.

    "Most of the promises made by the traveling salesman turned out to be pure moonshine."
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Antonyms & Contrasting Words (1)

Linguistic Origin & Historical Etymology

Derived from 'moon' and 'shine', originally denoting the light of the moon in the late 15th century. By the 18th century, it metaphorically shifted to mean something illusory or empty, and subsequently in the United States came to describe illicitly distilled liquor smuggled or produced by the light of the moon to evade detection.

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