sour

Meanings

1. 1
   adj

   Having a sharp, acidic taste, like a lemon.

   Lemons have a sour taste.

2. 2
   adj

   No longer fresh because it has gone bad, especially milk.

   Don't drink that milk; it's turned sour.

3. 3
   adj

   Unfriendly or bad-tempered.

   He gave me a sour look.

4. 4
   verb

   To become spoiled, or to make a relationship or situation worse.

   The milk has soured, and so has their friendship.

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”).

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