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Jamaica sorrel

Jamaica sorrel

9.1
A tropical plant with red flower parts people use to make drinks, jams, and sometimes fiber
  • noun
  • /dʒəˈmeɪkə ˈsɔrəl/
  • UK
translation icon : sorrel de Jamaica
  • The bright red calyxes of the Jamaica sorrel are brewed to make a popular holiday drink.

Examples

  • Many Caribbean recipes call for fresh Jamaica sorrel to add a tart, fruity flavor to jams and jellies.

  • After harvesting, the stalks of Jamaica sorrel are sometimes used to produce strong fiber.

  • I love making tea from Jamaica sorrel.

  • Have you tried Jamaica sorrel juice?

  • Many Caribbean recipes call for fresh Jamaica sorrel to add a tart, fruity flavor to jams and jellies.

  • The bright red calyxes of the Jamaica sorrel are brewed to make a popular holiday drink.

  • Have you tried Jamaica sorrel juice?

Synonyms

sorrel
vsJamaica sorrel
2 7.0

A plant with sour green leaves used in salads or cooking

refers to a plant valued for fleshy calyxes used in foods and fiber
rozelle
vsJamaica sorrel
  • UK
1 9.9

A plant with red flower parts used to make drinks, jams, and strong fiber

is the general tropical name not focused on calyx colour
roselle
vsJamaica sorrel
  • Australian
1 9.9

A tropical plant with red parts around its flowers used to make drinks and cloth

is mainly used as a food ingredient rather than focusing on fiber
Hibiscus sabdariffa
vsJamaica sorrel
  • Specialized
8.2

A tropical plant with red edible flower parts used for tea and jam and for strong fiber

is the common or regional name rather than the scientific label
red sorrel
vsJamaica sorrel
  • UK
9.6

A plant from India with red edible flower parts used to make drinks and jams

is used more widely across tropical regions rather than only East Indian

Surface Forms

Morphology

Jamaica + sorrel

The compound simply names a sorrel associated with Jamaica, so a learner who knows 'Jamaica' (place) and 'sorrel' (an edible sour-leaved herb) can infer it denotes a type/variety of sorrel (a plant/ingredient) from or linked to Jamaica. This is a straightforward location-based noun–noun composition found cross-linguistically and therefore directly derivable from the constituents.

Etymology

Jamaica sorrel may come from the market name 'flor de Jamaica', meaning 'flower of Jamaica', because sellers in the Caribbean used the bright red parts of the sorrel plant to boil a popular 'tart drink'. That's why today Jamaica sorrel refers to the red hibiscus used for tart drinks, jams, and strong fiber.