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Glite Dictionary
sheep's sorrel

sheep's sorrel

8.6
A small plant with arrow-shaped sour leaves often eaten in salads and growing in dry places
  • noun
  • /ʃips ˈsɔrəl/
translation icon : acederilla
  • The tangy flavor of sheep's sorrel makes it a tasty addition to salads.

Examples

  • We found patches of sheep's sorrel growing along the dry hillside.

  • Gardeners often remove sheep's sorrel as it can spread quickly in sandy soil.

  • I found some sheep's sorrel in the garden.

  • The sheep's sorrel adds a unique flavor to salads.

  • The tangy flavor of sheep's sorrel makes it a tasty addition to salads.

  • We found patches of sheep's sorrel growing along the dry hillside.

  • Gardeners often remove sheep's sorrel as it can spread quickly in sandy soil.

Synonyms

sheep sorrel
vssheep's sorrel
8.1

A small plant with arrow-shaped sour leaves often used in salads

is the possessive written form of that name
Rumex acetosella
vssheep's sorrel
  • Specialized
9.9

A small plant with sour, arrow-shaped leaves that grows in dry places

is the common everyday name rather than the scientific Latin form

Surface Forms

sheep's sorrel singular
sheep's sorrels plural

Morphology

sheep's + sorrel

The phrase names a type of sorrel and is compositionally built from 'sheep's' (possessive/associative) + 'sorrel' (the sour-leaved herb), so a learner who knows both words will infer it denotes a sorrel associated with sheep (e.g., found in pastures or eaten by sheep). This follows a common noun+possessive naming pattern for plants, making the overall meaning directly derivable from the constituents.

Etymology

Sheep's sorrel likely got its name because the small plant with 'sour' leaves grew where sheep grazed and the animals often ate the sorrel, so people began to call it the sheep's sorrel. That's why the name points to a little, sour-leaved plant with arrow-shaped leaves you find in dry places.