sourwood

American

[souuhr-wood, sou-er-] / ˈsaʊərˌwʊd, ˈsaʊ ər- /

noun

sorrel tree.

sourwood British

/ ˈsaʊəˌwʊd /

noun

another name for sorrel tree

"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

Etymology

Origin of sourwood

First recorded in 1700–10; sour + wood ¹

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

At 25 to 30 feet tall, sourwood fits nicely into a small garden.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 14, 2021

Ross, his pen perennially pressed to a stack of papers in his left hand, eyes the chimps from the roof as they expand into the hilly thicket of sourwood, pine, and walnut trees.

From Science Magazine • Dec. 2, 2020

My favorite is sourwood honey from Appalachia, with undertones of sweet spices, licorice and anise.

From Washington Post • May 2, 2019

An impressive gift to for the Jewish High Holy Days is sourwood honey, in a tall, slender bottle from Savannah Bee Company.

From New York Times • Sep. 18, 2017

What kinds of insects visit the clover? the cowpea? the sourwood? the flax?

From Agriculture for Beginners Revised Edition by Burkett, Charles William

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023