sour

Meaning

Adj

1. Tasting of acidity.
2. Made rancid by fermentation, etc.
3. Tasting or smelling rancid.
4. Hostile or unfriendly.
5. Excessively acidic and thus infertile. (of soil)
6. Containing excess sulfur. (of petroleum)
7. Unfortunate or unfavorable.
8. Off-pitch, out of tune.

Noun

1. (countable, uncountable) The sensation of a sour taste.
2. (countable, uncountable) A drink made with whiskey, lemon or lime juice and sugar.
3. (broadly, countable, uncountable) Any cocktail containing lemon or lime juice.
4. (countable, uncountable) A sweet/candy having a sharply sour taste.
5. (countable, uncountable) A sour or acid substance; whatever produces a painful effect.
6. (countable, uncountable) The acidic solution used in souring fabric.

Verb

1. (transitive) To make sour.
2. (intransitive) To become sour.
3. (transitive) To spoil or mar; to make disenchanted.
4. (intransitive) To become disenchanted.
5. (transitive) To make (soil) cold and unproductive.
6. To macerate (lime) and render it fit for plaster or mortar.
7. (transitive) To process (fabric) after bleaching, using hydrochloric acid or sulphuric acid to wash out the lime.

Synonyms

acid

bitter

tart

spoiled

acidic

sullen

acrid

salty

morose

rancid

sourness

surly

ferment

unpleasant

sharp

fermented

vinegary

unkind

astringent

rough

harsh

bad tasting

brutal

brackish

acetous

sore

tasteless

moody

acidify

gruff

disagreeable

make sour

vinegarish

become sour

acidulous

saturnine

sulky

acidity

false

rotten

tartness

dour

glum

insipid

dark

glowering

curdle

spoiling

crabbed

spoil

Translations

aigre

sauer

agrio

acide

zuur

ácido

acido

agro

azedo

aspro

ξινός

àcid

ácido

acre

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈsaʊə/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: sour

Inherited from Old English: sūr

Cognate with Western Frisian: soer

Cognate with Dutch: zuur

Cognate with Low German: suur

Cognate with German: sauer

Cognate with Danish: -

Cognate with Swedish: -

Cognate with Norwegian: sur

Cognate with French: sur

Cognate with Faroese: súrur

Cognate with Icelandic: súr

Cognate with Polish: ser

Cognate with Czech: sýr

Cognate with Slovak: syr

Cognate with Russian: сырой

Cognate with Ukrainian: сири́й

Cognate with Church Slavic: сꙑръ

In summary

From Middle English sour, from Old English sūr (“sour”), from Proto-West Germanic *sūr, from Proto-Germanic *sūraz (“sour”), from Proto-Indo-European *súHros (“sour”).
Cognate with West Frisian soer, Dutch zuur (“sour”), Low German suur, German sauer (“sour”), Danish, Swedish and Norwegian sur, French sur (“sour”), Faroese súrur (“sour”), Icelandic súr (“sour, bitter”),
Polish ser (“cheese”),
Czech sýr (“cheese”),
Slovak syr (“cheese”),
Russian сырой (syroj, “raw”),
Ukrainian сири́й (syrýj, “raw”),
Old Church Slavonic сꙑръ (syrŭ, “moist, cheese”).