wood sorrel

American  

noun

1. any of numerous plants of the genus Oxalis, especially O. acetosella, of Eurasia, having heart-shaped, trifoliolate leaves and white, pink-veined flowers.

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wood sorrel British  

noun

1. a Eurasian plant, Oxalis acetosella, having trifoliate leaves, an underground creeping stem, and white purple-veined flowers: family Oxalidaceae

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Etymology

Origin of wood sorrel

1515–25; translation of French sorrel de bois; replacing woodsour, so called from sour taste of the leaves

Compare meaning

How does wood-sorrel compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• wood sorrel vs. clover

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

wood sorrel

We’ve grown especially fond of snowberry, flowering currant, our two native strawberries, wood sorrel, vine maple and of course, our state flower, the Pacific rhododendron.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 29, 2023

The greens typically called weeds that get ripped out of backyards make a delicious salad and can be a bold garnish — think of purslane, or wood sorrel.

From New York Times ● Nov. 4, 2019

Early September is the tail end of Norway’s raspberry season, and Kontrast is serving its nearby berries now with a homemade, pale-green sorbet made of yogurt and tangy wood sorrel.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 7, 2017

She filled the conservatory with buttercups, ferns, wood sorrel, heliotropes, and jasmine, which she quenched with a “tiny watering-pot with a long, slender spout like the antennae of insects,” recalled her niece Martha Bianchi.

From Slate ● May 17, 2016

Fat wax pillar candles burn at the center, beside a carved stone vase full of wood sorrel.

From "The Cruel Prince" by Holly Black