Champagne Meaning
/ʃæmˈpeɪn/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounA sparkling white wine made from a blend of grapes, especially Chardonnay and pinot, produced in Champagne, France, by the méthode champenoise.
nameA cultural region and former province of France, the terroir of the wine champagne; now part of Grand Est region.
Sentence Examples
I'll take a glass of champagne.
The champagne cork popped out.
Jon's arrival was a cue for more champagne.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
None
CEFR Practice Quiz
To celebrate the new year, everyone popped open a bottle of sparkling ____.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
We opened a bottle of ____ to celebrate our wedding anniversary.
Word Origin & History
Borrowed from French Champagne. Doublet of Campania.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"We suppose that this author has done his best to be satirical; and he may have thought that his subject would have inspired him with all that was smart and piquant: but the plain truth is that the promised champagne turns out to be vapid small beer."
— 1809 April, “Art. 37. Military Promotions; or the Duke and His Dulcinea. A Satirical Poem. 4to. 2s. 6d. Richardson. [book review]”, in The Monthly Review; or, Literary Journal, Enlarged, volume LVIII, London: Sold by T[homas] Becket, […], →OCLC, page 439:
""[…] That stuff on the table may be a vehicle for filberts and walnuts, but not for such communications as yours. —Bring me champaigne," he said to the attendant who answered on his summons. The domestic returned, and brought a flask of champaigne, with two large silver cups."
— 1822, [Walter Scott], chapter VIII, in Peveril of the Peak. […], volume IV, Edinburgh: […] Archibald Constable and Co.; London: Hurst, Robinson, and Co., →OCLC, page 197:
"[T]he women will wear cashmeres, and then men will drink champagne."
— 1827, Francis Herbert [pseudonym; William Cullen Bryant, Robert Charles Sands, and Gulian Crommelin Verplanck], “The Legend of the Devil’s Pulpit”, in The Talisman for MDCCCXXVIII, New York, N.Y.: Elam Bliss, […], →OCLC, page 284:
"Champagne wine, with its amber hue, it éclat, its sparkle, and its perfume, arouses the senses and produces a cheerfulness which flashes through the company like a spark of electricity. At the magic word, Champagne! the guests, dull and torpid with good feeding, awake at once."
— 1867, Robert Tomes, chapter XV, in The Champagne Country, New York, N.Y.: Published by [Melancthon M.] Hurd and [Henry Oscar] Houghton, […], →OCLC, page 173:
"The principal difference between champagnes and sparkling hocks designed for the English market consists in the former being made almost exclusively from red grapes, pressed immediately they are gathered, and not allowed to ferment in their skins, while the latter are made from white grapes alone. The finest champagnes come from the pineau noir, or black Burgundy grape, while the best sparkling hocks are made from the Riesling, […]"
— 1875 January 8, “Sparkling Hock”, in The Pall Mall Budget: […], volume XIII, London: [s.n.] […], →OCLC, page 14, column 2:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
To celebrate the new year, everyone popped open a bottle of sparkling ____.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
We opened a bottle of ____ to celebrate our wedding anniversary.