sour´ly

sour´ly: sour «sowr», adjective, verb, noun, adverb.

–adj.

1. having a taste like that of vinegar or lemon juice; sharp and biting: »Most green fruit is sour.
SYNONYM(S): acid, acidulous, tart.

2. fermented; acid as a result of fermentation; spoiled. Sour milk is healthful, but most foods are not good to eat when they have become sour. SYNONYM(S): rancid, curdled.

3. having a foul or rank smell: »sour breath, a sour medicine.

4. Figurative. a) disagreeable, bad-tempered, or peevish: »a sour face, a sour remark. Sour to them that loved him not; but to those men that sought him, sweet as summer (Shakespeare).
b) dull; flat; stale: »The TV joke that may turn sour (Observer).

5. unusually acid: »sour soil.

6. cold and wet; damp: »sour weather.

7. possessing contaminating amounts of sulfur: »sour gasoline.

–v.i., v.t.

to become or make sour; turn sour: »The milk soured while it stood in the hot sun.Figurative. Such suffering would probably have soured the kindest temper (William Godwin).

–n.

1. something sour, distasteful, or disagreeable: »the sweets we wish for, turn to loathed sours (Shakespeare).

2. U.S. a sour alcoholic drink, such as whiskey and lemon juice: »a whiskey sour.

3. a mildly acid bath or steep, used in bleaching, and dyeing.

–adv.

in a sour manner: »Figurative. to look sour.
SYNONYM(S): disagreeably, crossly.

╂[Old English sūr]

–sour´ly, adverb.

–sour´ness, noun.

Synonym Study adjective.4 Sour, tart, acid, used figuratively to describe a person, or his looks, disposition, words, manner of expression, or the like, mean having a quality of harshness or sharpness. Sour suggests bad temper, surly rudeness, grouchiness, or sullenness: »a sour disposition.
Tart suggests sharp and stinging qualities: »Her tart answer showed her slight irritation.
Acid suggests biting, sarcastic, severely critical qualities: »I read an acid comment on the acting in our school play.

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Sour — Sour, a. [Compar. {Sourer}; superl. {Sourest}.] [OE. sour, sur, AS. s?r; akin to D. zuur, G. sauer, OHG. s?r, Icel. s?rr, Sw. sur, Dan. suur, Lith. suras salt, Russ. surovui harsh, rough. Cf. {Sorrel}, the plant.] 1. Having an acid or sharp,… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
sour — [sour] adj. [ME soure < OE sur, akin to Ger sauer, ON sūrr < IE * suro , sour, salty > Latvian sũrs, salty, bitter] 1. having the sharp, acid taste of lemon juice, vinegar, green fruit, etc. 2. made acid or rank by or as by fermentation… … English World dictionary
Sour — Sour, v. t. [AS. s?rian to sour, to become sour.] 1. To cause to become sour; to cause to turn from sweet to sour; as, exposure to the air sours many substances. [1913 Webster] So the sun s heat, with different powers, Ripens the grape, the… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
sour — sour, acid, acidulous, tart, dry mean having a taste devoid of sweetness. All but dry suggest the taste of lemons, vinegar, or of most unripe fruits. Sour and acid are often interchangeable, but sour is more likely to be chosen to describe… … New Dictionary of Synonyms
sour — sour; sour·berry; sour·dine; sour·i·quois; sour·ish; sour·ly; sour·ness; sour·sob; vav·a·sour; … English syllables
sour — Ⅰ. sour UK US /saʊər/ verb [I or T] ► to become, or cause to become, less pleasant, friendly, or successful: »Meeting clients unexpectedly can sour a relationship. »Loans are souring, as bankruptcies and the bad debts they leave behind keep… … Financial and business terms
sour on — informal : having a bad opinion of (something) She was sour on politics in general. • • • Main Entry: ↑sour sour on [phrasal verb] sour on (something) or sour (someone) on (something … Useful english dictionary
Sour — 〈[saʊər] m.; od. s, 〉 alkohol. Mixgetränk mit Zitronen od. Limonensaft ● Whisky Sour [<engl. sour „sauer“] * * * Sour [sur], Stadt in Südlibanon, Sur. * * * Sour [ zauɐ, engl. saʊə], der; [s], s [engl. sour, eigtl. = sauer]: stark… … Universal-Lexikon
sour — ► ADJECTIVE 1) having a sharp taste like lemon or vinegar. 2) tasting or smelling rancid from fermentation or staleness. 3) resentful, bitter, or angry. ► NOUN ▪ a cocktail made by mixing a spirit with lemon or lime juice. ► VERB ▪ make or become … English terms dictionary
sour — (adj.) O.E. sur, from P.Gmc. *suraz (Cf. O.N. surr, M.Du. suur, Du. zuur, O.H.G. sur, Ger. Sauer), from PIE root *suro sour, salty, bitter (Cf. O.C.S. syru, Rus. syroi moist, raw; Lith. suras salty … Etymology dictionary

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sour´ly

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