What does "sorrel" mean?
Any of various plants with acidic leaves of the genus Rumex, especially
Sorrel
/ˈsɒɹəl/ adj, name, noun
adj, name, noun ·Moderate ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Any of various plants with acidic leaves of the genus Rumex, especially
- Grammar: sorrel is listed as adj, name, noun.
- Nearest alternatives: common sorrel, acidic, bay, bayard.
- Useful contrasts: bay coat, black coat, bland.
- Usage evidence: He's gone to harness the sorrel mare to go to Carmody for the doctor.
How to use "sorrel"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "sorrel" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "sorrel" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "sorrel" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "sorrel" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "sorrel" is acting as adj, name, noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "common sorrel" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "sorrel", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Any of various plants with acidic leaves of the genus Rumex, especially countable, uncountable
- 2 A brown colour, with a tint of red. countable, uncountable
- 3 a horse of a brownish orange to light brown color wordnet
- 4 Any of various plants with acidic leaves of the genus Rumex, especially; Rumex acetosa (common sorrel, garden sorrel), sometimes used as a salad vegetable. countable, uncountable
"At the greenmarket, it’s still mostly potatoes and apples. There are no tender greens, fava beans, peas, asparagus, artichokes, sorrel, rhubarb or early strawberries. Those harbingers of the season are said to be full of chi, or qi, the Chinese word for life force. We’re craving them as we’re craving lighter, brighter-tasting meals, food that is greener and fresher."
- 5 large sour-tasting arrowhead-shaped leaves used in salads and sauces wordnet
Show 6 more definitions
- 6 Members of genus Oxalis or family Oxalidaceae, woodsorrels. countable, uncountable
- 7 East Indian sparsely prickly annual herb or perennial subshrub widely cultivated for its fleshy calyxes used in tarts and jelly and for its bast fiber wordnet
- 8 The roselle, Hibiscus sabdariffa. countable, uncountable
- 9 any of certain coarse weedy plants with long taproots, sometimes used as table greens or in folk medicine wordnet
- 10 The roselle, Hibiscus sabdariffa.; A drink, consumed especially in the Caribbean around Christmas, made from the flowers of Hibiscus sabdariffa: hibiscus tea. countable, uncountable
"Now, many people drink alcohol, but when I was a child I remember drinking sorrel, ginger beer and drinks made from fresh fruits such as soursop and passion-fruit. Sorrel was prepared over a long period, not as quickly as it is now."
- 11 any plant or flower of the genus Oxalis wordnet
Adjective
- 1 Of a brown colour, with a tint of red. (especially: a sorrel horse) not-comparable
"A little harmless gossip ensued on various themes, such as where old Aunt Sally got her new red head-kerchief, and how "Missis was a going to give Lizzy that spotted muslin gown, when she 'd got her new berage made up;" and how Mas'r Shelby was thinking of buying a new sorrel colt, that was going to prove an addition to the glories of the place."
Adjective
- 1 of a light brownish color wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 A female given name.
Example
"He's gone to harness the sorrel mare to go to Carmody for the doctor."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "sorrel"?
Common synonyms include: common sorrel, acidic, bay, bayard, beige, brown.
How do you use "sorrel" in a sentence?
He's gone to harness the sorrel mare to go to Carmody for the doctor.
How do you pronounce "sorrel"?
Pronounced /ˈsɒɹəl/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English sorel, from Old French sorel, surele (“sorrel”), from Old French sur (“sour”), of Germanic origin, ultimately from Proto-Germanic *sūraz (“sour”); equivalent to sour + -el (diminutive suffix). Compare Old English sūre (“sorrel”), Icelandic súra (“sorrel”), Dutch zuring (“dock (plant), sorrel”). More at sour.
Etymology 2
From Middle English *sorel, from Middle French *sorel, sorrel, surrel, from Middle French sor (“yellowish-brown, reddish-brown”), probably from Old Frankish *saur (“dried”), from Proto-Germanic *sauzaz (“dry”), from Proto-Indo-European *saus- (“dry, parched”); equivalent to sore (“reddish-brown”) + -el (diminutive suffix). Cognate with Middle Dutch soor (“dry”), Old High German sōrēn (“to become dry”), and Old English sēar (“withered, barren”). See also sere.