Forms: 4–7 soure († zoure), 4–8 sowr(e, 6–8 sower, 7– sour. [f. SOUR a. Cf. WFris. sûrje, MDu. suren (Du. zuren), LG. sûren, OHG. sûrên (MHG. sûren, G. sauern) to become sour; also MHG. siuren (G. säuern), LG. süren, NFris. sürre, MSw. and Sw. syra to make sour.]
1. intr. To become sour; to acquire a sour taste.
13[?]. [see b].
1390. Gower, Conf., I. 82. Fulofte and thus the swete soureth, Whan it is knowe to the tast.
1442. Lett. Marg. Anjou & Bp. Beckington (Camden), 80. Youre wynes shall nother soure nor stande base, for defaulte of drynkers.
1530. Palsgr., 640/1. I do some good in the house, I keep breed from moldyng and drinke from sowryng.
1577. B. Googe, Heresbach’s Husb., III. (1586), 147. Made of two sorts of milke,… it soone sowreth.
1600. Surflet, Countrie Farme, III. xlix. 532. The cyder made of sweete apples, hauing a soft and tender flesh, is more apt to sowre.
1662. R. Mathew, Unl. Alch., 155. Neither will the Oyl sowre so soon.
1732. Arbuthnot, Rules of Diet, in Aliments, etc. I. 268. Asses Milk, when it sours on the Stomach.
1776. Johnson, in Boswell, 12 April (Oxf. ed.), II. 28. He cannot find in his heart to pour out a bottle of wine; but he would not much care if it should sour.
1825. J. Nicholson, Operat. Mechanic, 608. It is absolutely necessary that the lime … be allowed to remain a considerable time macerating or souring in water.
1881. J. P. Sheldon, Dairy Farming, 314. Used in milk it has the effect of preventing the faintest approach of souring, for at least a week, in the hottest of weather.
fig. 1602. 2nd Pt. Return fr. Parnass., I. ii. 165. Such barmy heads wil alwaies be working, when as sad vineger wittes sit souring at the bottome of a barrell.
1657. Reeve, God’s Plea, 2. This it is … to lye sowring in the leaven of discontent.
b. fig. To change or turn to a bitter feeling. Also without const.
13[?]. K. Alis., 7002 (Laud MS.). Hote loue often after wil soure.
1678. Dryden, All for Love, II. i. Love once past, is, at the best, forgotten; But oftner sours to Hate.
1742. Young, Nt. Th., I. 338. Like bosom friendships to resentment sour’d.
1885–94. R. Bridges, Eros & Psyche, May xxx. Thy sisters’ love, seeing thee honour’d so, Will sour to envy.
c. To become embittered, morose or peevish.
1748. Thomson, Cast. Indol., I. xvii. They hate to mingle in the filthy fray, Where the soul sours, and gradual rancour grows.
1754. Richardson, Grandison, VII. xlii. 202. A single woman … remains solitary and unheeded, in a busy bustling world; perhaps soured to it by her unconnected state.
1842. Tennyson, Walking to Mail, 53. She sour’d To what she is: a nature never kind!
1893. Daily News, 29 Sept., 3/1. They sour and degenerate, grow cynical and misanthropic.
d. To sour on, to take a dislike or distaste to (a person or thing). Orig. U.S.
1862. in Thornton, Amer. Gloss., s.v., Guess the M.P. will ‘sour’ on William C., when he has seen him for about fifteen minutes.
1872. De Vere, Americanisms, 205. The curious expression of souring on an unpleasant task or occupation.
1900. Daily News, 13 Nov., 9/3. Dan soured on Castlereagh boys, white, black, and yellow, forthwith.
2. trans. Of leaven: To cause fermentation in (dough, etc.).
1340. Ayenb., 205. Ase þe leuayne zoureþ þet doȝ and hit draȝþ to smac.
1382. Wyclif, Exod. xii. 34. Thanne the good puple tok sprengid meel, or it were sowrid.
1526. Tindale, 1 Cor. v. 6. A lytell leven sowereth the whole lompe of dowe.
1642. J. Ball, Answ. to Can, ii. 34. A little leaven sowreth the whole masse.
1872. J. G. Murphy, Comm., Lev. ii. 11, 50. Leaven is a portion of sour dough, which, when mingled with the fresh mass, sours it also.
b. fig. or in fig. context.
1390. Gower, Conf., I. 294. He is the levein of the bred, Which soureth al the past aboute.
1611. Bible, Transl. Pref., ¶ 9. Such as are, if not frozen in the dregs, yet sowred with the leauen of their superstition.
1647. Hist. Anabaptists, 17. Seducing many and sowring the new Lump of that Church with the Leaven of his perverse doctrine.
c. 1730. Swift, Serm., vii. Wks. 1841, II. 156/2. The smallest mixture of that leaven will sour the whole lump.
3. To make sour or acid; esp. to cause to have a tart or sour taste; to spoil in this way.
c. 1460. Promp. Parv. (Winch.), 461. Sowryn, or make sowre, aceo.
1594. Nashe, Unfort. Trav., Wks. (Grosart), V. 161. To sowre all the wines in Rome, and turne them to vineger.
1632. Sanderson, Serm., 467. A nasty vessell sowreth all that is put into it.
c. 1685. Dk. Buckingham, Conf., Wks. 1705, II. 45. He … Sours our Palm Wine, spoils our Victuals.
1715. Addison, Drummer, I. i. He’ll sour all the beer in my barrels.
1746. Francis, trans. Horace, Epist., I. ii. 77. For tainted Vessels sour what they contain.
1818. Scott, Br. Lamm., xii. In case the thunner should hae soured ours at the castle.
1825. J. Nicholson, Operat. Mechanic, 608. Allowing no more lime … than is just sufficient to macerate or sour it with the water.
1903. Daily Chron., 12 Jan., 7/1. A germ that was souring each brew of beer in a large brewery.
fig. 1599. B. Jonson, Cynthia’s Rev., V. xi. We not intend to sowre your late delights With harsh expostulation.
1611. Shaks., Wint. T., I. ii. 102. Three crabbed Moneths had sowr’d themselues to death.
1645. Quarles, Sol. Recant., v. This sowers all thy sweets, sads all thy Rest.
1682. Sir T. Browne, Chr. Mor., 10. To have other by-ends in actions sowers laudable performances.
1720. Ozell, trans. Vertot’s Rom. Rep., I. I. 47. Appius … could not help sowering the Usefulness of his Counsels with the Austerity of his Character.
1826. Lamb, Elia, II. Wedding. The awful eye of the parson … souring my incipient jest to the tristful severities of a funeral.
1859. J. Marshall, Hist. Scottish Affairs, x. 218. Education in him had not sweetened nature, but nature had soured education.
b. To make (land) cold and wet.
1842. J. Aiton, Domest. Econ. (1857), 185. It is drenched, soured, and turned into mire through the winter.
1880. C. R. Markham, Peruv. Bark, 262. To allow any excess of water to drain off into a place where it cannot sour the soil.
c. Bleaching. To subject to the action of diluted acids. Also with off.
1756. F. Home, Exper. Bleaching, 80. In a bleachfield, when they were drawing a parcel of coarse cloth soured in this manner.
1839. Ure, Dict. Arts, 136. After which, they are completely rinsed in pure spring water, and then soured.
1873. E. Spon, Workshop Rec., Ser. I. 15/1. Then sour the whole in a bath of sulphuric acid.
1875. F. J. Bird, Dyer’s Hand-bk., 52. After cleaning goods should be soured off.
4. To render sour, gloomy or morose; to embitter (the mind, temper, etc.).
1599. Jonson, Ev. Man out of Hum., Introd. This protraction is able to sour the best settled patience in the theatre.
1709. Strype, Ann. Ref., I. lii. 522. To sowre the Minds of the Subjects against the Queen.
a. 1770. Jortin, Serm. (1771), I. v. 91. Their piety is of that sort which sours the temper.
1788. Gibbon, Decl. & F., xxxix. IV. 32. His mind was soured by indignation.
1838. Lytton, Alice, I. 319. Whose heart his schemes had prematurely soured.
1856. Macaulay, Misc. Writ. (1882), 314. Continued adversity had soured Johnson’s temper.
1882. J. H. Blunt. Ref. Ch. Eng., II. 261. Physical and mental misery, which soured her disposition.
b. With personal object.
1669. Temple, Lett. (1700), II. 127. The Suedish Court, sowered by the ill Treatment … of their Ministers, will [etc.].
1701. W. Wotton, Hist. Rome, 220–1. These Losses did exceedingly sowre the People.
1769. Robertson, Chas. V., X. Wks. 1813, III. 208. Philip, sowered by his disappointment, was sent back to Spain.
1832. Ht. Martineau, Homes Abroad, i. 12. What sours … him more than to work and work from year to year in vain?
1878. Stubbs, Const. Hist., III. xviii. 9. He seems to us a man … whose conscience … had soured him.
1897. E. Œ. Somerville, in Badminton Mag., IV. 389. The filly, soured by our recent encounter, reared.
† c. To invest with a sour expression. Obs. rare.
1592. Shaks., Ven. & Ad., 185. Adonis … Sowring his cheekes, cries, fie, no more of love. Ibid. (1593), Rich. II., II. i. 169. Nor my owne disgrace Haue euer made me sowre my patient cheeke.
