Definition of Sour

  • (superl.) Having an acid or sharp, biting taste, like vinegar, and the juices of most unripe fruits; acid; tart.
  • (superl.) Changed, as by keeping, so as to be acid, rancid, or musty, turned.
  • (superl.) Disagreeable; unpleasant; hence; cross; crabbed; peevish; morose; as, a man of a sour temper; a sour reply.
  • (superl.) Afflictive; painful.
  • (superl.) Cold and unproductive; as, sour land; a sour marsh.
  • (n.) A sour or acid substance; whatever produces a painful effect.
  • (v. t.) To cause to become sour; to cause to turn from sweet to sour; as, exposure to the air sours many substances.
  • (v. t.) To make cold and unproductive, as soil.
  • (v. t.) To make unhappy, uneasy, or less agreeable.
  • (v. t.) To cause or permit to become harsh or unkindly.
  • (v. t.) To macerate, and render fit for plaster or mortar; as, to sour lime for business purposes.
  • (v. i.) To become sour; to turn from sweet to sour; as, milk soon sours in hot weather; a kind temper sometimes sours in adversity.

Homophones of Sour