n.
Pronunciation: ' käk- ˌ t ā l
Function: noun
Etymology: probably from 1 cock + tail
Date: 1806
1 a : an iced drink of wine or distilled liquor mixed with flavoring ingredients b : something resembling or suggesting such a drink as being a mixture of often diverse elements or ingredients <a cocktail of remembered incidents and pure imagination ― Charlotte Low> <a cocktail of herbicides> c : a mixture of agents usually in solution that is taken or used together especially for medical treatment or diagnosis
2 : an appetizer served as a first course at a meal