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# sourdough

noun (sourdough, uncountable; a sourdough, sourdoughs for loaves)

«sourdough» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. Sourdough is bread made with a starter, a mix of flour and water full of wild yeast and bacteria, instead of packet yeast; it tastes slightly sour. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sourdough/#m1)
2. A sourdough starter is the bubbly mixture kept alive and «fed» with flour and water to make this bread. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sourdough/#m2)
3. (US, old) A sourdough was an old-timer in Alaska or the Yukon, especially a gold prospector. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sourdough/#m3)

### In the lessons

In science lessons it shows microbes at work: the yeast makes carbon dioxide gas, which makes bread rise, and the bacteria make acid, which gives the sour taste. In everyday life many families bake sourdough at home. Phrases: «a sourdough loaf», «sourdough starter», «feed the starter».

### Examples

- We had sourdough toast for breakfast. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sourdough/#x1)
- Our sourdough starter bubbles because of the wild yeast. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sourdough/#x2)
- Feed the starter with flour and water every day. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sourdough/#x3)
- Sourdough tastes a bit sour because of the bacteria. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sourdough/#x4)
- The bakery sells a crusty sourdough loaf. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sourdough/#x5)
- Gas bubbles from the yeast make holes in sourdough. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sourdough/#x6)
- San Francisco is famous for its sourdough. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sourdough/#x7)

### Note

Uncountable as bread (some sourdough), countable as loaves (two sourdoughs). It is one word. The sour taste is from lactic acid, the same acid as in yogurt.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «sourdough» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sourdough/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«sourdough» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/sourdough.html) on Mova free.