sherbet

[ shur-bit ]

noun

1. Sometimes sher·bert []. 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.

sherbet

/ ˈʃɜːbət /

noun

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

   lemon sherbet

2. a water ice made from fruit juice, egg whites, milk, etc Also called (in Britain and certain other countries)sorbet
3. slang.
   beer
4. a cooling Oriental drink of sweetened fruit juice
5. informal.
   a euphemistic word for shit

Word History and Origins

Origin of sherbet¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of sherbet¹

C17: from Turkish şerbet, from Persian sharbat, from Arabic sharbah drink, from shariba to drink

Example Sentences

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

Then came the Romans who brought hard durum wheat, and the Arabs who introduced sherbet, couscous and eggplant, not to mention a penchant for stuffed foods, pistachios and spices like saffron and cinnamon.

From Salon

When Miss World became popular in India, it also brought a different idea of beauty - of tiny sculpted waists, sherbet gowns and a heavily contoured face.

From BBC

Related Words

• frozen yogurt
• sorbet