sherbet

American  

[shur-bit] / ˈʃɜr bɪt /

noun

1. Sometimes sherbert a frozen dessert made with sweetened fruit juice or purée, typically containing milk or cream, with egg white or gelatin often added.

2. a traditional Middle Eastern drink made of sweetened fruit juice diluted with water and ice.

3. Chiefly British. a sweetened powder moistened in the mouth and eaten as a fizzy confection or mixed with water to make a fizzy drink.

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sherbet British  

/ ˈʃɜːbət /

noun

1. a fruit-flavoured slightly effervescent powder, eaten as a sweet or used to make a drink

   lemon sherbet

2. Also called (in Britain and certain other countries): sorbet.  a water ice made from fruit juice, egg whites, milk, etc

3. slang beer

4. a cooling Oriental drink of sweetened fruit juice

5. informal a euphemistic word for shit

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Etymology

Origin of sherbet

First recorded in 1595–1605; from Turkish şerbet, from Persian sharbat, from Arabic sharbah “a drink,” from shariba “to drink”

Example Sentences

I side-eyed Sabre’s prices, then ordered a cheap set with cheerful plastic handles in various sherbet hues.

From Los Angeles Times

It was incredibly sweet and slightly sour and fruity, reminding me of lemon sherbet.

From BBC

Mandalay Beach, also known as Oxnard State Beach, has sherbet sunsets over its dunes.

From Los Angeles Times

Miss Sunshine scooped with a smile, and agreed to hold Chicken’s rainbow sherbet in the freezer until they were ready to walk home.

From Literature

His ornate turban changed colors, the folds cycling through peacock blues and sherbet oranges and butter yellows, while its tiny diamonds caught the moonlight.

From Literature

Related Words

• frozen yogurt
• sorbet