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 vb. 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-vie [lit. ‘water of life’], the Fr. name for brandy. See also EWE ARDAUNT, EWROSE.
1823. Byron, To Ld. Blessington, 14 April. 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, trans. Humboldt’s Trav., II. xxiv. 447. In vain have ammonia and eau-de-luce been tried against the Curare.
Eau, erroneous form of EA, canal.
