From Hebrew 'shekhar' (strong drink), through Greek, Latin, and French — narrowed from any liquor to fermented apple juice.
An alcoholic drink made from fermented apple juice; in North America, also used for unfermented apple juice.
From Middle English 'sidre,' from Old French 'cidre, sidre,' from Late Latin 'sīcera,' from Ecclesiastical Latin, from Greek 'síkera' (σίκερα, strong drink), borrowed from Hebrew 'shēkhār' (שֵׁכָר, intoxicating drink), related to Akkadian 'šikaru' (barley beer). The word originally referred to any intoxicating drink other than grape wine. It was applied specifically to fermented apple juice in medieval France, and entered English with that narrow meaning through the Norman Conquest
The word 'cider' traveled from ancient Mesopotamian barley beer through Hebrew scripture, Greek Bible translations, Latin church texts, and Norman French before landing in English — where it now means apple juice. At every stage it meant a different drink. The Hebrew 'shēkhār' in the Bible refers to any strong drink that is not grape wine; the Greek translators borrowed it as 'síkera'; Latin scholars inherited it; and French apple-growers narrowed it to their regional specialty.