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garden sorrel

garden sorrel

5.6
A plant with sour leaves used in salads and cooking
  • noun
  • /ˈɡɑrdən ˈsɔrəl/
translation icon : acederas
  • She added fresh garden sorrel to the salad for a tangy flavor.

Examples

  • The chef used chopped garden sorrel as a garnish for the fish dish.

  • In spring, garden sorrel is one of the first herbs to appear in the garden.

  • I love adding garden sorrel to my salads.

  • The garden sorrel grows well in my backyard.

  • In spring, garden sorrel is one of the first herbs to appear in the garden.

  • She added fresh garden sorrel to the salad for a tangy flavor.

  • The chef used chopped garden sorrel as a garnish for the fish dish.

Synonyms

sorrel
vsgarden sorrel
2 7.0

A plant with sour green leaves used in salads or cooking

refers to a specific perennial herb used for tangy leaves in salads and cooking
Rumex acetosa
vsgarden sorrel
  • Specialized
9.9

A leafy plant with large sour leaves eaten raw in salads

is the common culinary herb name rather than the botanical term
common sorrel
vsgarden sorrel
6.1

A leafy herb with sour pointed leaves used in salads and sauces

emphasizes a perennial herb used for tangy leaves in cooking and salads

How Sour

lemon
318 1.0
garden sorrel
5.6
spinach
94 1.0
lettuce
93 1.0

Surface Forms

garden sorrel singular

Morphology

garden + sorrel

The compound is compositionally built: 'sorrel' names the edible sour-leaved herb and 'garden' simply specifies a cultivated or garden-grown variety, so the overall referent is directly predictable from its parts. This type of noun+noun modification is common in English and cross-linguistically, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the meaning.

Etymology

Garden sorrel is named for the sharp taste of its leaves. People called it sorrel from a word meaning 'sour', and that lemon-like sourness is why cooks add garden sorrel to salads and sauces.