Meaning and background
The story behind Sambuca
Sambuca is familiar as an Italian anise-flavoured liqueur, but the name also belongs to an ancient stringed musical instrument. The Oxford Companion to Spirits & Cocktails describes differing explanations for the drink’s title: an older word for elder, or an association with local anise-water sellers. With such competing histories, a firm claim that the drink was named for elderberries alone would be excessive.
- Meaning
- Italian word for an anise-flavoured liqueur; also the name of an ancient stringed instrument in a different word history. Source
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About Sambuca
Recorded as a dog’s name
Sambuca appears in 9 dog licence records in the 2022 New York City dataset.
How to read this count
These records cover New York City and may count the same dog in more than one licence period. They are not a national popularity ranking.
Pronunciation and rhythm
/sæmbjukə/
US English sound sequence, converted from the CMU dictionary. Stress marks are shown separately.
Stress on the second syllable in the recorded US readings.
View dictionary notation
/sæmbjukə/ · primary stress on syllable 2S AE2 M B Y UW1 K AH0
These are US dictionary readings. Personal, regional and other language pronunciations may differ.
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Sources and research notes (2)
- New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene NYC Dog Licensing Dataset — all seven available extract years, retrieved 24 October 2026 — Recorded name spellings in NYC licence-period rows, extract years 2016–2018, 2022–2024 and 2026. Evidence selects one stated year per name. Annual snapshots overlap; never sum them as unique dogs. No national popularity, etymology or owner naming-intent claim.
- Carnegie Mellon University / CMU Sphinx maintainers CMU US English Pronouncing Dictionary — US English dictionary readings; not owner-specific or exhaustive multilingual pronunciation
References support the individual facts shown. A source link does not mean the entire profile has been verified.