sherbet

American  

[shur-bit] / ˈʃɜr bɪt /

noun

1. Sometimes sherbert a frozen dessert made with sweetened fruit juice or purée, typically containing milk or cream, with egg white or gelatin often added.

2. a traditional Middle Eastern drink made of sweetened fruit juice diluted with water and ice.

3. Chiefly British. a sweetened powder moistened in the mouth and eaten as a fizzy confection or mixed with water to make a fizzy drink.

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sherbet British  

/ ˈʃɜːbət /

noun

1. a fruit-flavoured slightly effervescent powder, eaten as a sweet or used to make a drink

   lemon sherbet

2. Also called (in Britain and certain other countries): sorbet.  a water ice made from fruit juice, egg whites, milk, etc

3. slang beer

4. a cooling Oriental drink of sweetened fruit juice

5. informal a euphemistic word for shit

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Etymology

Origin of sherbet

First recorded in 1595–1605; from Turkish şerbet, from Persian sharbat, from Arabic sharbah “a drink,” from shariba “to drink”

Explanation

Sherbet is a frozen dessert made of fruit juice and sugar. Though it looks like ice cream, sherbet is a little different since it's made with little or no milk or cream. Since sherbet is typically made with fruit, it often comes in shockingly bright colors like pink, orange, or green and has a refreshing taste. This delicious summer treat has been around a long time, in some form at least — the word sherbet came into English in the 17th century from the Turkish word zerbet, meaning "drink made from diluted fruit juice and sugar." Make sure you don't add an extra "r" in sherbet: the ending is spelled "bet."

Example Sentences

“The vast majority of them are challenging the residence of a registered voter,” said Bruce Sherbet, Collin County elections administrator.

From Salon • Aug. 16, 2024

“So the fact that we’ve been here, we’re eating Pringles, we’re eating Sherbet Lemons, you know, we’re eating sandwiches, having coffee, doughnuts.”

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 16, 2022

It’s too short to offer anything too substantial, and there’s none of the fun underwater sections that added such variety to Sherbet Land.

From The Verge • Aug. 8, 2022

Colorful Mario Kart landscapes careen through the mind’s eye as two adult gamers name-drop their favorite virtual racing courses: Sherbet Land, Choco Mountain, Rainbow Road.

From Washington Post • Jun. 27, 2022

Faded loops of coloured paper hung in the windows, and on the shelves were shabby little boxes of Sherbet, old Liquorice Sticks, and very withered, very hard Apples-on-a-stick.

From "Mary Poppins" by P. L. Travers

Related Words

• frozen yogurt
• sorbet