sorghum

[ sawr-guh m ]

/ ˈsɔr gəm /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR sorghum ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a cereal grass, Sorghum bicolor (or S. vulgare), having broad, cornlike leaves and a tall, pithy stem bearing the grain in a dense terminal cluster.

the syrup made from sorgo.

RELATED WORDS

molasses, treacle, glucose

Nearby words

sorel, sorel, georges, sorely, sorensen, sorgho, sorghum, sorghum beer, sorgo, sori, soricine, sorites

Origin of sorghum

1590–1600; < New Latin < Italian sorgo (see sorgo)

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for sorghum

Whiskey and vodka are also loosely classified as such, but the base of baijiu is sorghum.
The Most Powerful Liquor in the World|Kayleigh Kulp|August 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Sorghum requires less water than corn but yields about the same amount of ethanol per bushel.
Democrats and Republicans Support Harmful Ethanol Subsidies for the Sake of Votes|Robert Bryce|September 5, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The agency is expected to approve the use of sorghum for ethanol production.
Democrats and Republicans Support Harmful Ethanol Subsidies for the Sake of Votes|Robert Bryce|September 5, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Sorghum syrup is actually a juice extract collected from a tall grass called sweet sorghum.
Pancakes' New Topper|Stacey Slate|December 8, 2009|DAILY BEAST

Sorghum juice can be extracted for fermentation and distillation without damaging the grain at the top of the stalk.
Pancakes' New Topper|Stacey Slate|December 8, 2009|DAILY BEAST
Molasses from cane or sorghum is added to the fat, making what is known as 'sap,' which is eaten with the corn bread.
The Negro Farmer|Carl Kelsey
Sorghum and sunflower seeds were also the staple foods during December, 1952.
Food of the Crow, Corvus brachyrhynchos Brehm, in South-central Kansas|Dwight Platt
The profitableness of making sugar from sorghum depends largely on utilizing all waste products.
The Prairie Farmer, Vol. 56, No. 2, January 12, 1884|Various
The persistent rasping noise of the sorghum mill and the bubbling of the caldron had prevented them from hearing an approach.
The Riddle Of The Rocks|Charles Egbert Craddock (AKA Mary Noailles Murfree)
The sorghum or great millet, generally known as jowar or cholum, is the staple grain crop of southern India.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 14, Slice 4|Various

British Dictionary definitions for sorghum

sorghum

/ (ˈsɔːɡəm) /

noun

any grass of the Old World genus Sorghum, having solid stems, large flower heads, and glossy seeds: cultivated for grain, hay, and as a source of syrupSee also durra

Word Origin for sorghum

C16: from New Latin, from Italian sorgo, probably from Vulgar Latin Syricum grānum (unattested) Syrian grain

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

Word Origin and History for sorghum

sorghum

"Indian millet," 1590s, from Modern Latin Sorghum, the genus name, from Italian sorgo "a tall cereal grass," probably from Medieval Latin surgum, suricum (12c.), perhaps a variant of Latin syricum "Syrian," as in Syricum (gramen) "(grass) of Syria," from Syria, a possible source of the plant or its grain in ancient times.