Skip to the word

Added 9 October 2026

sour

/ˈsaʊ.ə/ adjective

In Latin: acidus Wiktionary

adjective Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about sour at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Tasting of acidity.
Lemons have a sour taste.
Made rancid by fermentation, etc.
Don't drink that milk; it's turned sour.
Tasting or smelling rancid.
His sour breath makes it unpleasing to talk to him.

noun

The sensation of a sour taste.
(Can we add an example for this sense?)
A drink made with whiskey, lemon or lime juice and sugar.
(Can we add an example for this sense?)
Any cocktail containing lemon or lime juice.

verb

To make sour.
Too much lemon juice will sour the recipe.
To become sour.
To spoil or mar; to make disenchanted.

Origin

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, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, and Swedish sur (“sour”), French sur (“sour”), Faroese súrur (“sour”), Icelandic súr (“sour, bitter”), Old Church Slavonic сꙑръ (syrŭ, “moist, cheese”).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

Back to today's word