Nearby Words

sorrel

[sawr-uhl, sor-] Origin

sor·rel

1[sawr-uhl, sor-]
noun
1.
light reddish-brown.
2.
a horse of this color, often with a light-colored mane and tail.
adjective
3.
of the color sorrel.

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Sorrel is always a great word to know.
So is quincunx. Does it mean:
a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.
an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle.

Origin:
1400–50; late Middle English < Old French sorel, equivalent to sor brown (< Germanic ) + -el diminutive suffix; see -elle
Dictionary.com Unabridged

sor·rel

2[sawr-uhl, sor-]
noun
1.
any of various plants belonging to the genus Rumex, of the buckwheat family, having edible acid leaves used in salads, sauces, etc.
2.
any of various sour-juiced plants of the genus Oxalis. Compare wood sorrel.
3.
any of various similar plants.

Origin:
1350–1400; Middle English sorell < Old French surele, equivalent to sur sour (< Germanic; akin to Old High German sūr sour) + -el diminutive suffix; see -elle
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
sorrel1 (ˈsɒrəl)
 
n
1.  a.  a light brown to brownish-orange colour
 b.  (as adjective): a sorrel carpet
2.  a horse of this colour
 
[C15: from Old French sorel, from sor a reddish brown, of Germanic origin; related to Middle Dutch soor desiccated]

sorrel2 (ˈsɒrəl)
 
n
1.  dock See also sheep sorrel any of several polygonaceous plants of the genus Rumex, esp R. acetosa, of Eurasia and North America, having acid-tasting leaves used in salads and sauces
2.  short for wood sorrel
 
[C14: from Old French surele, from sur sour, of Germanic origin; related to Old High German sūrsour]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

sorrel
"reddish brown," c.1430, from M.Fr. sorel, from sor "yellowish-brown," probably from Frankish *saur "dried" (cf. M.Du. soor "dry," O.H.G. soren "to become dry," O.E. sear "withered, barren;" see sere). Perhaps a diminutive form.
EXPAND

sorrel
"small perennial plant," c.1400, from O.Fr. surele (12c.), from sur "sour," from Frankish *sur (cf. O.H.G., O.E. sur "sour;" see sour). So called for the taste of its leaves.
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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