sour

Meanings

1. 1
   adj

   inaccurate in pitch

   a false (or sour) note

2. 2
   adj

   in an unpalatable state

   sour milk

3. 3
   verb

   go sour or spoil

   The milk has soured

4. 4
   adj

   Tasting of acidity.

   Lemons have a sour taste.

5. 5
   adj

   Made rancid by fermentation, etc.

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

6. 6
   adj

   Tasting or smelling rancid.

   His sour breath makes it unpleasing to talk to him.

7. 7
   adj

   Hostile or unfriendly.

   He gave me a sour look.

8. 8
   adj

   Excessively acidic and thus infertile. (of soil)

   sour land

Etymology

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”).