Wiktionary

sour

See also:sour-

English

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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FromMiddle Englishsour,fromOld Englishsūr(“sour”),fromProto-West Germanic*sūr,fromProto-Germanic*sūraz(“sour”),fromProto-Indo-European*súHros(“sour”).

Cognate withWest Frisiansoer,Dutchzuur(“sour”),Low Germansuur,Germansauer(“sour”),Danish,SwedishandNorwegiansur,Frenchsur(“sour”),Faroesesúrur(“sour”),Icelandicsúr(“sour, bitter”), Polishser(“cheese”), Czechsýr(“cheese”), Slovaksyr(“cheese”), Russianсырой(syroj,“raw”), Ukrainianсири́й(syrýj,“raw”), Old Church Slavonicсꙑръ(syrŭ,“moist, cheese”).

Pronunciation

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Adjective

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sour(comparativesourer,superlativesourest)

  1. Tasting ofacidity.
    Lemons have asourtaste.
  2. Maderancidbyfermentation,etc.
    Don't drink that milk; it's turnedsour.
  3. Tastingorsmellingrancid.
    Hissourbreath makes it unpleasing to talk to him.
  4. (of a person's character)Hostileorunfriendly.
    He gave me asourlook.
  5. Excessively acidic and thusinfertile.(of soil)
    sourland
    asourmarsh
  6. Containing excesssulfur.(of petroleum)
    sourgas smells like rotten eggs
  7. Unfortunateorunfavorable.
  8. (music)Off-pitch, out of tune.
    • 2010,Aniruddh D. Patel,Music, Language, and the Brain,page201:
      Unlike what the name implies, there is nothing inherently wrong with a sour note: It is perfectly well-tuned note that would sound normal in another context (and which presumably would not soundsourto someone unfamiliar with tonal music).

Antonyms

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  • (antonym(s) of“soil, petroleum”):sweet

Derived terms

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Translations

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The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions atWiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked

See also

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Basic tastes in English(layout·text)
sweet sour salty bitter spicy savory

Noun

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sour(countableanduncountable,pluralsours)

  1. Thesensationof a sourtaste.
    (Can we add anexamplefor this sense?)
  2. Adrinkmade withwhiskey,lemonorlimejuiceandsugar.
    (Can we add anexamplefor this sense?)
  3. (by extension)Any cocktail containinglemonorlime juice.
  4. Asweet/candyhaving a sharply sour taste.
    • 2022,Michael N. Riley,ARCH BOOK I(page 78)
      “You know I like them candies, especially the lemonsours.”
  5. A sour or acid substance; whatever produces a painful effect.
  6. Theacidicsolutionused in souring fabric.

Derived terms

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Translations

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Verb

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sour(third-person singular simple presentsours,present participlesouring,simple past and past participlesoured)

  1. (transitive)To make sour.
    Too much lemon juice willsourthe recipe.
  2. (intransitive)To become sour.
  3. (transitive)Tospoilormar;to makedisenchanted.
  4. (intransitive)To becomedisenchanted.
    We broke up after our relationshipsoured.
  5. (transitive)To make (soil) cold and unproductive.
    • 1832,Joseph Harrison, Sir Joseph Paxton,The Horticultural Register,page396:
      stagnant water, which tends tosourthe soil
  6. Tomacerate(lime) and render it fit forplasterormortar.
  7. (transitive)To process (fabric) afterbleaching,usinghydrochloric acidorsulphuric acidto wash out thelime.

Conjugation

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Conjugation ofsour
infinitive (to)sour
present tense past tense
1st-personsingularsour soured
2nd-personsingular sour,sourest† soured,souredst†
3rd-personsingular sours,soureth† soured
plural sour
subjunctive sour soured
imperative sour —
participles souring soured

Derived terms

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Translations

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Anagrams

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French

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Adjective

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sour(femininesoure,masculine pluralsours,feminine pluralsoures)

  1. (nonstandard)Alternative form ofsûr

Preposition

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sour

  1. (nonstandard)Alternative form ofsur

Middle English

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Etymology 1

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FromOld Englishsūr.

Alternative forms

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Pronunciation

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Adjective

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sour

  1. sour,acidic,bitter
  2. foul-smelling,rancid
  3. fermented, curdled
  4. unpleasant,unattractive
Derived terms
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Descendants
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  • English:sour
  • Scots:sour

Etymology 2

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FromOld Frenchessorer.

Verb

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sour

  1. Alternative form ofsoren(“to soar”)

Romansch

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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FromLatinsoror.

Noun

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sourf(pluralsours)

  1. (Puter,Vallader)sister

Coordinate terms

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  • (in terms of gender):
    • (Rumantsch Grischun,Sursilvan,Sutsilvan,Surmiran,Vallader)frar
    • (Puter)frer
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