sourdough

English

Etymology

sour +‎ dough, compare German Sauerteig. The senses pertaining to Alaska and the Yukon derive from the distinctive pouches of bread starter worn on a belt or around the neck by experienced prospectors during the Klondike Gold Rush.

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈsaʊɚdoʊ/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈsaʊədəʊ/
• Hyphenation: sour‧dough

Noun

sourdough (plural sourdoughs)

1. A type of bread dough leavened with yeast and lactobacilli that produce acids giving a sour taste. [from 14th c.]
2. (slang) An old-timer, especially in Alaska. [from 1898]
   • 1944, Ernie Pyle, Brave Men, University of Nebraska Press (2001), page 80:

     "The troops went for those fresh tomatoes like sourdoughs going for gold in the Klondike."

3. (Yukon) A permanent resident of the territory. Someone who has lived in the Yukon during all four seasons.

   Antonym: cheechako

Translations

dough

• Danish: surdej
• Dutch: zuurdesem (nl)
• Faroese: súrdeiggj n
• Finnish: hapantaikina (fi)
• French: levain (fr) m
• German: Sauerteig (de) m
• Greek: προζύμι (el) n (prozými), μεταλευτής m (metaleftís)
• Hebrew: שאור‎‎ (s'or)
• Ido: hefo (io)
• Irish: taos géar m
• Italian: pasta madre f, lievito naturale m, lievito madre m
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: surdeig m

  Nynorsk: surdeig m

• Polish: ciasto na zakwasie n, zakwas (pl) m
• Portuguese: massa azeda f
• Russian: опа́ра (ru) f (opára)
• Serbo-Croatian: комлов m (komlov)
• Slovak: kvások (sk) m
• Sorbian:

  Lower Sorbian: kwas m

• Spanish: masa madre (es) f
• Swedish: surdeg (sv) c

old-timer

• Finnish: tervaskanto (fi)

Adjective

sourdough (not comparable)

1. Made from sourdough.

Translations

made from sourdough

• Danish: surdejs-
• Finnish: hapan- (fi)

• Polish: na zakwasie

Further reading

• sourdough on Wikipedia.Wikipedia