Sour

Pronunciation

• GenAm IPA: /ˈsaÊŠ(É™)ɹ/
• RP IPA: /ˈsaÊŠÉ™/
• Rhymes: -aÊŠÉ™(ɹ)

Alternative forms

• (obsolete) sowr

Origin

From Middle English sour, from Old English sūr ("sour"), from Proto-Germanic *sūraz ("sour"), from Proto-Indo-European *sūr- ("sour (milk)"). Cognate with West Frisian soer, Dutch zuur ("sour"), Low German suur, German sauer ("sour"), Danish and Swedish sur ("sour"), French sur ("sour"), Icelandic súr ("sour, bitter").

Full definition of sour

Adjective

1. Having an acidic, sharp or tangy taste.Lemons have a sour taste.
• Francis BaconAll sour things, as vinegar, provoke appetite.
2. Made rancid by fermentation, etc.
3. Tasting or smelling rancid.
4. Peevish or bad-tempered.He gave me a sour look.
• ShakespeareHe was a scholar ...
  Lofty and sour to them that loved him not,
  But to those men that sought him sweet as summer.
5. (of soil) Excessively acidic and thus infertile.sour land; a sour marsh
6. (of petroleum) Containing excess sulfur.
7. Unfortunate or unfavorable.
• Shakespearesour adversity
• 2011, October 1, Phil Dawkes, Sunderland 2 - 2 West Brom, The result may not quite give the Wearsiders a sweet ending to what has been a sour week, following allegations of sexual assault and drug possession against defender Titus Bramble, but it does at least demonstrate that their spirit remains strong in the face of adversity.

Noun

1. The sensation of a sour taste.
2. A drink made with whiskey, lemon or lime juice and sugar.
3. (by extension) Any cocktail containing lemon or lime juice.

Verb

1. To make or become sour.Too much lemon juice will sour the recipe.
• Jonathan SwiftSo the sun's heat, with different powers,
  Ripens the grape, the liquor sours.
2. To make or become disenchanted.We broke up after our relationship soured.
• ShakespeareTo sour your happiness I must report,
  The queen is dead.
3. To make (soil) cold and unproductive.
4. To macerate (lime) and render it fit for plaster or mortar.

Noun

1. A sour or acid substance; whatever produces a painful effect.

Anagrams

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