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Webster 1913 Edition


Sorrel

Sor′rel

,
Adj.
[F.
saur
,
saure
, OF.
sor
,
sore
, probably of Teutonic origin; cf. D.
zoor
dry, LG.
soor
; the meaning probably coming from the color of dry leaves. See
Sear
,
Adj.
, and cf.
Sorel
.]
Of a yellowish or redish brown color;
as, a
sorrel
horse
.

Sor′rel

,
Noun.
A yellowish or redish brown color.

Sor′rel

,
Noun.
[F.
surelle
, fr.
sur
sour, fr. OHG.
s[GREEK]r
sour. See
Sour
.]
(Bot.)
One of various plants having a sour juice; especially, a plant of the genus
Rumex
, as
Rumex Acetosa
,
Rumex Acetosella
, etc.
Mountain sorrel
.
(Bot.)
See under
Mountain
.
Red sorrel
.
(Bot.)
(a)
A malvaceous plant (
Hibiscus Sabdariffa
) whose acid calyxes and capsules are used in the West Indies for making tarts and acid drinks
.
(b)
A troublesome weed (
Rumex Acetosella
), also called
sheep sorrel
.
Salt of sorrel
(Chem.)
,
binoxalate of potassa; – so called because obtained from the juice of
Rumex Acetosella
, or
Rumex Axetosa
.
Sorrel tree
(Bot.)
,
a small ericaceous tree (
Oxydendrum arboreum
) whose leaves resemble those of the peach and have a sour taste. It is common along the Alleghanies. Called also
sourwood
.
Wood sorrel
(Bot.)
,
any plant of the genus Oxalis.

Webster 1828 Edition


Sorrel

SOR'REL

,
Adj.
Of a reddish color; as a sorel horse.

SOR'REL

,
Noun.
A reddish color; a faint red.

Definition 2024


sorrel

sorrel

English

Rumex acetosa

Noun

sorrel (plural sorrels)

  1. A kind of plant with acidic leaves, especially Rumex acetosa (common sorrel), sometimes used as a salad vegetable.
  2. The roselle, Hibiscus sabdariffa.
  3. A drink, consumed especially in the Caribbean around Christmas, made from the flowers of Hibiscus sabdariffa: hibiscus tea.
    • 2007, African and Caribbean Celebrations (ISBN 1903458005), page 56:
      Now, many people drink alcohol, but when I was a child I remember drinking sorrel, ginger beer and drinks made from fresh fruits such as soursop and passion-fruit. Sorrel was prepared over a long period, not as quickly as it is now.
    • 2009, C. C. Alick, Dancing with the Yumawalli: Inspired by True Events, page 62:
      For instance, one day we were sitting on the porch, looking down at the lagoon and the yachts from all over the world. He was drinking ginger beer mixed with rum, and I was drinking sorrel. No rum. Out of nowhere, he proposed.
    • 2012, Claudette Beckford-Brady, Sweet Home, Jamaica, page 390:
      Joy and the parents did not go either; we spent a quiet day at home, eating roast chicken and stuffing with our own green-gungu rice and peas, and drinking sorrel.
Derived terms
Translations

See also

External links

Etymology 2

From Middle English *sorel, from Old French *sorel, sorrel, surrel, from Old French sor (yellowish-brown, reddish-brown), probably from Old Frankish *saur (dried), from Proto-Germanic *sauzaz (dry), from Proto-Indo-European *saus- (dry, parched); equivalent to sore (reddish-brown) + -el (diminutive suffix). Cognate with Middle Dutch soor (dry), Old High German sōrēn (to become dry), and Old English sēar (withered, barren). See also sere.

Noun

sorrel (plural sorrels)

  1. A brown colour, with a tint of red.
    sorrel colour:    
Translations

Adjective

sorrel (not comparable)

  1. Of a brown colour, with a tint of red. (especially: a sorrel horse)
Translations

See also

  • Appendix:Colors