sher·bet  (shûrbĭt) n. 1. also sher·bert (-bûrt′) A frozen dessert made mainly of fruit juice or fruit purée, usually with sugar and milk or cream. 2. Chiefly British A usually fruit-flavored effervescent powder, eaten as candy or made into a drink. 3. also sherbert Australian An alcoholic beverage, especially beer. [Ottoman Turkish, sweet fruit drink, from Persian šarbat, from Arabic šarba, drink, from šariba, to drink; see śrb in the Appendix of Semitic roots.] Word History: Although the word sherbet has been in English for several centuries, it has not always referred to what we now normally think of as sherbet. Sherbet came into English from Ottoman Turkish šerbet (Modern Turkish şerbet) and Persian šarbat, words referring to a traditional Middle Eastern beverage of sweetened, diluted fruit syrup or juice. The Turkish word is borrowed from Persian, and the Persian word comes from Arabic šarba, "drink." (The -t at the end of the Turkish and Persian words, by the way, comes from the non-pausal pronunciation of the Arabic word šarba. Before a pause or at the end of a sentence in Arabic, the feminine noun ending -t is dropped. When used within a sentence, or when a possessive suffix is added to a word, however, the final -t ending remains, as for example in šarbatī, "my drink.") The Middle Eastern drink began to be imitated in Western Europe in the 1500s, and the word sherbet is first attested in English at the very beginning of the 1600s and was probably known even earlier. In English, during the 1800s, sherbet came to be used to refer to a fizzy sweet drink made with an effervescent flavoring powder, and nowadays in British English, sherbet usually refers to a kind of candy, a fizzy flavored powder eaten by dipping a finger into a packet. Because the original Middle Eastern drink contained fruit and was often cooled with snow or shaved ice, sherbet also came to denote a kind of frozen dessert. Current American usage maintains a distinction in meaning between the words sherbet and sorbet—sherbets tend to contain milk or extra binding ingredients and closely resemble ice cream, while sorbets tend to be lighter, often consisting simply of ice and fruit juice or liqueur. This distinction, however, was not so clear-cut in the past, when sherbet covered a wider variety of cooling drinks and desserts than it most often does today. The word sorbet first appears in English in the 1500s and is a borrowing of French sorbet, itself a borrowing of Italian sorbetto. The Italian word comes from the same Ottoman Turkish šerbet that gave us sherbet. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
FAQs
Sherbet, pronounced "SHER-but," is the usual word for the frozen sweet dessert made from fruit or fruit juices. Sherbert, with an additional r in the second syllable and pronounced "SHER-bert," is less commonly used.
What does sherbet mean in America? ›
US. a sweet food similar to ice cream, but made mostly with fruit and only a little milk. Compare. sorbet.
What's the difference between sherbet and sorbet? ›
The major difference between the two is that sherbet is made with dairy and sorbet isn't. Sherbet has more of a creamy texture that you'd expect from ice cream thanks to ingredients like milk, heavy cream, or buttermilk in the mix. Sorbet, on the other hand, is simply sugar and fruit.
What language was sherbet borrowed from? ›
Sherbet came into English from Ottoman Turkish šerbet (Modern Turkish şerbet) and Persian šarbat, words referring to a traditional Middle Eastern beverage of sweetened, diluted fruit syrup or juice.
What is sherbet slang for in English? ›
In London, at least, "sherbet" is slang for an alcoholic drink, taken from the Turkish drink sherbet which I believe was a fruit juice drink.
What is the American version of sherbet? ›
The difference appears to be an American distinction between an ice that has a small amount of dairy (sherbet) and one that has none (sorbet). Although, just to throw the spanner into the works, British English uses the word sherbet to describe a flavoured powder used to make sweet effervescent fruity drinks….
What do British call sherbet? ›
A refreshing dessert made of frozen sweetened water with (usually fruit) flavouring. People from the UK prefer to call it 'sorbet', Americans prefer 'sherbet'. Both of these are borrowed words but they mean the same thing.
Is sherbet good or bad for you? ›
The addition of dairy gives sherbet a creamier texture, but it also increases the overall calorie and fat content. However, compared to ice cream, sherbet still tends to have a lower fat content, making it a good choice for those watching their fat intake.
Is Italian ice healthier than ice cream? ›
The Healthy Alternative
Probably the most important difference between Italian Ice products like Gelu and ice cream is that it's dairy-free, gluten-free, cholesterol-free, and fat-free. The lack of gluten, fat, and cholesterol makes Gelu a healthier choice for dessert than ice cream products.
Why is sherbet so good? ›
Whether it's milk or heavy cream, sherbet gets its lush creaminess from some added dairy. It's a perfect combo of the creaminess of ice cream without the added fat, and the fruitiness of sorbet with a little extra decadence.
Making Sherbet
Common sherbet flavors include orange, raspberry, lemon, and lime. There's also a variation called rainbow sherbet, which is made by combining layers of raspberry, lime, and orange sherbet.
What is the old meaning of sherbet? ›
The word "sherbet" is from Turkish şerbet, which is from Persian شربت, which in turn comes from "sharbat", Arabic شَرْبَة sharbah, a drink, from "shariba" to drink. The word is cognate to syrup in English. Historically it was a cool effervescent or iced fruit soft drink.
What do Americans call sherbet? ›
Sherbet (pronounced “shur-bit”) is the standard American spelling for the frozen mixture made from fruit and an additive of either milk, egg white, or gelatin. It comes from the name of a Persian drink made of fruit juice, water, sweetener, and a cooling component such as snow.
Is sherbet an American word? ›
Sherbet comes from the Persian word Sharbat which is an iced fruit drink. English is the only European language to directly use the Turkish word for this kind of dessert.
What is the English word for sherbet? ›
sher·bet ˈshər-bət. variants or less commonly sherbert. ˈshər-bərt. 1. : a cold drink of sweetened and diluted fruit juice.
What is sherbet powder called in America? ›
Sherbet is now used to mean this powder sold as a sweet. (In the United States, it would be somewhat comparable to the powder in Pixy Stix or Fun Dip, though having the fizzy quality of effervescing candy, such as Pop Rocks.)
Do Americans call sorbet sherbet? ›
A refreshing dessert made of frozen sweetened water with (usually fruit) flavouring. People from the UK prefer to call it 'sorbet', Americans prefer 'sherbet'. Both of these are borrowed words but they mean the same thing.
(shûrbĭt)