verjuice

American  

[vur-joos] / ˈvɜrˌdʒus /

noun

1. an acid liquor made from the sour juice of crab apples, unripe grapes, etc., formerly much used for culinary and other purposes.

2. sourness, as of temper or expression.

---

adjective

1. of or relating to verjuice.

2. sour in temper, expression, etc.

verjuice British  

/ ˈvɜːˌdʒuːs /

noun

1. 1. the acid juice of unripe grapes, apples, or crab apples, formerly much used in making sauces, etc

   2. ( as modifier )

      verjuice sauce

2. rare

   1. sourness or sharpness of temper, looks, etc

   2. ( as modifier )

      a verjuice old wife

---

verb

1. rare (tr) to make sour; embitter

Etymology

Origin of verjuice

1275–1325; Middle English verjuis < Middle French vertjus, equivalent to vert green (< Latin viridis ) + jus juice

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

verjuice

I have used the hard-to-find verjuice instead of lemon, and once included a little honey in the recipe.

From The Guardian ● Oct. 25, 2017

The proper way of cleaning elegant chimney pieces, or other articles made of alabaster, is to reduce some pumice stone to a very fine powder, and mix it up with verjuice.

From The Cook and Housekeeper's Complete and Universal Dictionary; Including a System of Modern Cookery, in all Its Various Branches, Adapted to the Use of Private Families by Mary Eaton

How is it that at the commencement of springtime the verjuice of the vine is sharp?

From The Sufistic Quatrains of Omar Khayyam by Omar Khayyam

The wild "Scrab," or Crab Apple, armed with thorns, grows in our fields and hedgerows, furnishing verjuice, which is rich in tannin, and a most useful application for old sprains.

From Herbal Simples Approved for Modern Uses of Cure by William Thomas Fernie

The juice of the Crab is called verjuice, which is in considerable demand for medicinal and other purposes.

From The Botanist's Companion, Volume II by William Salisbury