Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A drink consisting of vinegar or wine diluted with water.

Etymologies

Sorry, no etymologies found.

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word posca.

Examples

  • The Romans mixed vinegar and water to make an ordinary drink called posca, pickled vegetables in vinegar and brine, and judging by the late Roman recipe book of Apicius, often enjoyed vinegar in combination with honey.

    On Food and Cooking, The Science and Lore of the Kitchen Harold McGee 2004

  • The Romans mixed vinegar and water to make an ordinary drink called posca, pickled vegetables in vinegar and brine, and judging by the late Roman recipe book of Apicius, often enjoyed vinegar in combination with honey.

    On Food and Cooking, The Science and Lore of the Kitchen Harold McGee 2004

  • He ordered our men to let him have water, or _posca, _ whatever he wanted.

    Asimov's Science Fiction 2004

  • A little draught of a sleeping drug in the cup of posca, the watered vinegar that each gladiator would rinse his mouth with before entering the arena, would insure that in a few minutes the man's reaction time would slow down.

    The Eternal Mercenary Sadler, Barry 1980

  • Sponging Casca down quickly, Crysos went about his duties tending to the others, bringing wine and posca to those who called for it.

    The Eternal Mercenary Sadler, Barry 1980

  • Crysos, a Sicilian slave, tended ko the needs of the gladiators, washed their clothes, brought them posca, a bitter mixture of vinegar and water to rinse their mouths out with when they got overheated, cleaned up the barracks, and emptied the chamber pots.

    The Eternal Mercenary Sadler, Barry 1980

  • Taking a short swallow of the bitter posca, he rinsed his mouth and spat.

    The Eternal Mercenary Sadler, Barry 1980

  • Then, like the others, he washed it down with posca.

    The Eternal Mercenary Sadler, Barry 1980

  • Instantly some one -- we know not whether he was friend or enemy, or merely one who was there out of idle curiosity -- took out the sponge and dipped it in the posca to give it to Jesus.

    The Great Events by Famous Historians, Volume 03 Rossiter Johnson 1906

  • Near the cross there lay on the ground the large earthen vessel containing the _posca_, which was the ordinary drink of the Roman soldiers.

    The Great Events by Famous Historians, Volume 03 Rossiter Johnson 1906

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.

  • “If chugging vinegar sounds curious to you as well, be apprised that this centuries-old practice has only recently been abandoned. The Romans diluted acetified wine with water to make an everyday thirst quencher called posca, and vinegar has been touted as a cure-all in Asia and Europe for centuries.�?

    The New York Times, Dropping Acid, by Toby Cecchini, November 11, 2008

    November 13, 2008

  • Isn't that the drink that was offered to Christ on the cross? I thought I read that somewhere years ago...

    November 13, 2008

  • When I made elderberry vinegar in Italy, my landlord happened to call in one day when I was decanting it from the fermenter into bottles. He asked what it was and then if he could try some. I thought he meant 'take some home in a small bottle' but he then indicated he just wanted to drink it.

    So we sat there for a while with him sipping the vinegar until he'd finished his cupful. He thanked me and said he wasn't going to pay to fix the hot water service. Sourpuss.

    November 13, 2008