sheep sorrel

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noun

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

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

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Origin of sheep sorrel

First recorded in 1570–80

Words nearby sheep sorrel

sheep's fescue, sheepshank, sheepshead, sheepshearing, sheepskin, sheep sorrel, sheep station, sheepswool sponge, sheeptick, sheepwalk, sheer

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use sheep sorrel in a sentence

The spade or plow that turns these under is sure to turn up some other variety, as chickweed, sheep-sorrel, or goose-foot.
A Year in the Fields|John Burroughs
Sheep sorrel was most common, next to this yellow or bitter dock and green foxtail.
Seeds of Michigan Weeds|W. J. (William James) Beal
The property was picturesque to look at but its best herbage was sheep-sorrel.
My Friends at Brook Farm|John Van Der Zee Sears
Rumex acetosella (sheep sorrel), common by river and log-paths, as Chesuncook log-path.
The Maine Woods|Henry David Thoreau

Reddy resembles the common, but much-admired sheep sorrel, while I am like that tender little flower, the forget-me-not.
Grace Harlowe's Sophomore Year at High School|Jessie Graham Flower

British Dictionary definitions for sheep sorrel

sheep sorrel

sheep's sorrel

noun

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012