SOURDOUGH

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does sourdough mean? 

• SOURDOUGH (noun)
  The noun SOURDOUGH has 2 senses:

1. a leaven of dough in which fermentation is active; used by pioneers for making bread

2. a settler or prospector (especially in western United States or northwest Canada and Alaska)

  Familiarity information: SOURDOUGH used as a noun is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• SOURDOUGH (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A leaven of dough in which fermentation is active; used by pioneers for making bread

Classified under:

Nouns denoting substances

Hypernyms ("sourdough" is a kind of...):

leaven; leavening (a substance used to produce fermentation in dough or a liquid)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A settler or prospector (especially in western United States or northwest Canada and Alaska)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Hypernyms ("sourdough" is a kind of...):

prospector (someone who explores an area for mineral deposits)

colonist; settler (a person who settles in a new colony or moves into new country)

Domain region:

West; western United States (the region of the United States lying to the west of the Mississippi River)