What is "sorrel"

Sorrel \Sor"rel\, a. [F. saur, saure, OF. sor, sore, probably of Teutonic origin; cf. D. zoor dry, LG. soor; the meaning probably coming from the color of dry leaves. See Sear, a., and cf. Sorel.] Of a yellowish or redish brown color; as, a sorrel horse.

Sorrel \Sor"rel\, n. A yellowish or redish brown color.

Sorrel \Sor"rel\, n. [F. surelle, fr. sur sour, fr. OHG. s?r sour. See Sour.] (Bot.) One of various plants having a sour juice; especially, a plant of the genus Rumex, as Rumex Acetosa, Rumex Acetosella, etc. Mountain sorrel. (Bot.) See under Mountain. Red sorrel. (Bot.)

1. A malvaceous plant ( Hibiscus Sabdariffa) whose acid calyxes and capsules are used in the West Indies for making tarts and acid drinks.

2. A troublesome weed ( Rumex Acetosella), also called sheep sorrel.

   Salt of sorrel (Chem.), binoxalate of potassa; -- so called because obtained from the juice of Rumex Acetosella, or Rumex Axetosa.

   Sorrel tree (Bot.), a small ericaceous tree ( Oxydendrum arboreum) whose leaves resemble those of the peach and have a sour taste. It is common along the Alleghanies. Called also sourwood.

   Wood sorrel (Bot.), any plant of the genus Oxalis.

"reddish brown," especially of horses, mid-14c., from Old French sorel, from sor "yellowish-brown," probably from Frankish *saur "dry," or some other Germanic source, from Proto-Germanic *sauza- (cognates: Middle Dutch soor "dry," Old High German soren "to become dry," Old English sear "withered, barren;" see sere). Perhaps a diminutive form in French.

small perennial plant, late 14c., from Old French surele (12c., Modern French surelle), from sur "sour," from Frankish *sur or some other Germanic source, from Proto-Germanic *sura- "sour" (cognates: Old High German, Old English sur "sour;" see sour (adj.)). So called for the taste of its leaves.

Etymology 1 n. 1 A kind of plant with acidic leaves, especially (taxlink Rumex acetosa species noshow=1) (common sorrel), sometimes used as a salad vegetable. 2 The roselle, (taxlink Hibiscus sabdariffa species noshow=1). 3 A drink, consumed especially in the Caribbean around Christmas, made from the flowers of ''Hibiscus sabdariffa'': (w: hibiscus tea). Etymology 2

a. Of a brown colour, with a tint of red. (qualifier: especially: a '''sorrel''' horse) n. A brown colour, with a tint of red.

1. adj. of a light brownish color [syn: brownish-orange]

2. n. any plant or flower of the genus Oxalis [syn: oxalis, wood sorrel]

3. any of certain coarse weedy plants with long taproots, sometimes used as table greens or in folk medicine [syn: dock, sour grass]

4. East Indian sparsely prickly annual herb or perennial subshrub widely cultivated for its fleshy calyxes used in tarts and jelly and for its bast fiber [syn: roselle, rozelle, red sorrel, Jamaica sorrel, Hibiscus sabdariffa]

5. large sour-tasting arrowhead-shaped leaves used in salads and sauces [syn: common sorrel]

6. a horse of a brownish orange to light brown color

Common sorrel or garden sorrel (Rumex acetosa), often simply called sorrel, is a perennial herb in the family Polygonaceae. Other names for sorrel include spinach dock and narrow-leaved dock. It is a common plant in grassland habitats and is cultivated as a garden herb or leaf vegetable (pot herb).

Sorrel is a perennial herb cultivated as a leaf vegetable, particularly:

• Rumex acetosa, garden sorrel, common sorrel
• Rumex scutatus, French sorrel

Sorrel may also refer to:

Sorrel is an alternative word for one of the most common equine coat colors in horses. While the term is usually used to refer to a copper-red shade of chestnut, in some places it is used generically in place of "chestnut" to refer to any reddish horse with a same-color or lighter mane and tail, ranging from reddish-gold to a deep burgundy or chocolate shade. The term probably comes from the color of the flower spike of the sorrel herb.

The term " chestnut" is the more common term used to describe horses of a reddish-brown color. Chestnut is more often used to describe this color in England and on the east coast of the United States, while the term "sorrel" is more common in the Western United States. Some horse enthusiasts insist that chestnut and sorrel are two distinct colorations, but there is no known genetic difference between the two and no clear consensus on what the distinction is. Some argue that "sorrel" should be used to describe only lighter shades, or shades with a very clear reddish tint, while "chestnut" denotes darker shades or shades with more brown in them. The American Quarter Horse Association, which uses both terms, describes a sorrel as a type of copper-red chestnut, but allows that chestnut is also a correct term.

In terms of equine coat color genetics there is no difference at all. Solid reddish-brown color is a base color of horses, caused by the recessive "e" gene.

Sorrel or chestnut coloration can be distinguished from dun by the fact that a dun horse has a gene that causes slightly washed-out yellowish color, with a darker mane and tail than the rest of its coat, may have areas of darker color on the shoulder and forelegs, and also possesses a narrow, dark line down the middle of the back.

A sorrel and a bay, especially a "blood bay," may be confused with one another. However, all bays have "black points" - a black mane, tail and lower legs. Light-colored sorrels, sometimes called " blond sorrels," especially if they have flaxen manes and tails, may resemble a palomino. However, true palomino coloration is the result of a horse's being heterozygous for the cream dilution gene.

Some definitions list sorrel as a self color, used to describe only horses whose mane, tail, and legs are the same color as the rest of the coat, with the exception of white markings. Other definitions are broader and include reddish-brown horses with flaxen manes and tails.

More often than not, the practical difference is usually not in color, but in usage: horses ridden in the Western tradition are more often referred to as sorrel and horses ridden in the English tradition are chestnut. Many organizations simply avoid the whole fuss and choose one of the two terms to denote all reddish or brown colorations that are not bay.