sheep sorrel

American  

noun

1. a slender weed, Rumex acetosella, of the buckwheat family, found in poor, dry soils, having arrow-shaped leaves with an acid taste.

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sheep sorrel British  

noun

1. a polygonaceous plant, Rumex acetosella, of the N hemisphere, having slightly bitter-tasting leaves and small reddish flowers

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Etymology

Origin of sheep sorrel

First recorded in 1570–80

Example Sentences

She found tufts of crisp sour sheep sorrel which she 47liked to nibble, while she made ladies out of the flowers, and the pups snapped at the grasshoppers and butterflies.

From Chicken Little Jane on the Big John by Ritchie, Lily Munsell

Gather a bunch of sheep sorrel leaves, wrap them in a cabbage leaf and roast in the oven.

From Mother's Remedies Over One Thousand Tried and Tested Remedies from Mothers of the United States and Canada by Ritter, Thomas Jefferson

Oca: Hardy, edible root, related to sheep sorrel.

From Inca Land Explorations in the Highlands of Peru by Bingham, Hiram

Then came sheep sorrel, and the rock-rose and thorn-brush.

From The Wonderful Adventures of Nils by Howard, Velma Swanston

Now pull up the roots of a plant, as, for example, sheep sorrel, Jimson weed, or some other plant.

From Agriculture for Beginners Revised Edition by Burkett, Charles William