About
酴 is a phono-semantic compound with the semantic radical 酉 (yǒu), indicating alcohol or fermentation, and the phonetic component 余 (yú), providing its pronunciation. It primarily means yeast or a type of unfiltered, twice-fermented liquor. The character appears frequently in classical poetry and brewing texts, and is notably used in the botanical term 酴醾 (túmí) for the blackberry rose, whose blossoms were historically used to flavor wine, linking it closely to traditional brewing practices.
Etymology Hide
