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sourdough

sour·dough

UK/ˈsaʊəˌdəʊ/ US/ˈsaʊɚˌdoʊ/ rare dated obsolete slang
noun (2) adjective (1)

noun

1.

a leaven of dough in which fermentation is active; used by pioneers for making bread

2.

adjective

1.

leavened with a small amount of fermented dough

  • “sourdough bread”
Similar

Origin

From Middle English sour dogh, equivalent to sour + dough. Compare Saterland Frisian Suurdee (“sourdough”), Dutch zuurdeeg (“sourdough”), Low German Suurdeeg (“sourdough”), German Sauerteig (“sourdough”), Danish surdej (“sourdough”), Swedish surdeg (“sourdough”), Icelandic súrdeig (“sourdough”). The senses pertaining to California, Alaska and the Yukon derive from the distinctive pouches of bread starter (starter dough used to make sourdough) worn on a belt or around the neck by experienced prospectors during the Klondike Gold Rush and California Gold Rush.

Phrases

  • old sourdough

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.