sorbet
Sorbet (noun) means a frozen dessert made from sweetened fruit juice or puree, sometimes lightened with egg white, often served between courses of a meal to cleanse the palate. Example: “We finished the tasting menu with a scoop of lemon sorbet.”
How to use sorbet
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishFruity, icy dessert with no cream in it — the dairy-free cousin of ice cream.
Don't confuse with sherbet, which in the US usually contains a small amount of dairy; sorbet never does.
Word forms
sorbets plural
Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
We finished the tasting menu with a scoop of lemon _____.
Etymology
Traced back through French and Italian to Ottoman Turkish şerbet and Arabic sharba ("a drink"); a distant relative of both "sherbet" and "syrup."
Synonyms
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Frequently asked questions
What does “sorbet” mean?
The word “sorbet” means a frozen dessert made from sweetened fruit juice or puree, sometimes lightened with egg white, often served between courses of a meal to cleanse the palate. In plain terms, fruity, icy dessert with no cream in it — the dairy-free cousin of ice cream.
How do you pronounce “sorbet”?
“Sorbet” is pronounced SAW-bay (/sɔɹˈbeɪ/ in IPA).
How do you use “sorbet” in a sentence?
Here is “sorbet” used in a sentence: “We finished the tasting menu with a scoop of lemon sorbet.”
What part of speech is “sorbet”?
“Sorbet” is a noun.
Where does the word “sorbet” come from?
The word “sorbet” comes from French. Traced back through French and Italian to Ottoman Turkish şerbet and Arabic sharba ("a drink"); a distant relative of both "sherbet" and "syrup.".