▪ I. ‖ eau
(o)
French for ‘water’, occurring in the names of several liquids, used as scents or in medicine, as eau-de-Cologne, a perfume consisting of alcohol and various essential oils, originally (and still very largely) made at Cologne; also (nonce-use) as a v.; eau de Javelle, see Javelle; eau-de-Luce, a medicinal preparation of alcohol, ammonia, and oil of amber, used in India as an antidote to snake-bites, and in England sometimes as smelling salts; eau-de-nil (erron. -du-), eau-de-Nil [lit. ‘water of (the) Nile’], a pale green colour supposed to resemble that of the Nile; eau de Portugal, a perfume comprising an essential oil known as essence of Portugal; eau de toilette = toilet-water s.v. toilet n. 9 b; eau-de-vie [lit. ‘water of life’], the Fr. name for brandy; eau sucrée (o sukre), water with sugar in it. See also ewe ardaunt, ewrose.
| 1802 C. Wilmot Let. 19 June in Irish Peer (1920) 72 The Ladies most frequently have their Baths perfum'd with *Eau de Cologne, Rose Water, or some perfume of that kind. 1823 Byron To Ld. Blessington 14 Apr., Neither lemon-juice nor eau de Cologne, nor any other eau. 1845 Tait's Mag. XII. 803 Her maid..comforted and eau-de-cologned her. 1854 Mrs. Gaskell North & S. xxii, Mrs. Thornton bathed Margaret's temples with eau de Cologne. |
| 1756 Gentl. Mag. XXVI. 33 This gives you the genuine *Eau de luce. 1808 Med. Jrnl. XIX. 492 The wounds were deeply scarified, and filled with eau de luce. 1852 Th. Ross tr. Humboldt's Trav. II. xxiv. 447 In vain have ammonia and eau-de-luce been tried against the Curare. |
| 1870 Young Ladies' Jrnl. VII. 482 A pretty toilette of *eau-du-nil. 1890 [see crevette]. 1891 Truth 10 Dec. 1240/2 A row of begonia leaves in eau-de-Nil velvet. 1905 E. F. Benson Image in Sand ix, Four greens—eau-de-nil, vert-doré, aquamarine, and emerald—shone and shimmered together. 1928 Times 9 May 11/5 A robe de style of eau-de-nil tulle. 1960 Times 30 Jan. 7/4 Eau-de-nil and tilleul green. |
| 1825 H. Wilson Mem. 43 ‘A little *Eau de Portugal would do no harm..’ I remarked,..alluding to his dislike of perfumery. 1848 Mrs. Gaskell Mary Barton I. vi. 104 Did not I get you that eau de Portugal from town. 1938 L. MacNeice Zoo xiv. 229 We poured a bottle of eau-de-Portugal over our heads. 1963 ‘M. Albrand’ Call from Austria vii. 64 He smelled of Eau de Portugal, the lotion he used on his hair; he smelled a little like an orange. |
| 1907 Yesterday's Shopping (1969) 537/3 Houbigant's *Eau de Toilette..bot. 4/6. 1985 Times 23 Jan. 10/5 The continental man has never had any reservations about buying eau de toilette rather than aftershave. |
| 1748 Smollett Rod. Rand. II. xlii. 54 We..were treated at breakfast with chocolate and *l'eau de vie by our paramours. 1804 M. Wilmot Let. 24 Jan. in Russ. Jrnls. (1934) i. 78 The desert was in another room, dry'd fruits, Cakes, and eau de vie. 1840 Barham Ingol. Leg. 1st Ser. 168 Many a flaggon Of double ale..and eau-de-vie. 1846 Dickens Pictures from Italy 86 He..produces a jorum of hot brandy and water; for that bottle..now holds nothing but the purest eau de vie. 1911 E. M. Clowes On Wallaby vii. 184 Delicately burning his spoonful of eau-de-vie over his coffee. |
| 1825 H. Wilson Mem. iii. 69 The Frenchman..drank *eau sucré, and studied in his dictionary. 1844 Thackeray Misc. Ess. (1885) 61 There was eau sucrée in the dining-room if the stalwart descendants of Du Guesclin were athirst. a 1845 Barham Ingol. Leg. 3rd Ser. (1847) 189 Lemonade, eau sucrée—and drinkables mild. 1872 E. Braddon Life in India viii. 314 Playing dominoes and drinking eau sucrée. |
▪ II. eau erroneous form of
ea, canal.