E. Cobham Brewer 1810–1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898.
Aqua Vitæ [water of life].
Certain ardent spirits used by the alchemists. Ben Jonson terms a seller of ardent spirits an “aqua-vitæ man” (Alchemist, i. 1). The “elixir of life” was made from distilled spirits, which were thought to have the power of prolonging life. (See EAU-DE-VIE.)
ca.
