verjuice

English

Etymology

From Middle English verjous, vergeous, from Old French vertjus, verjus (French verjus), from vert +‎ jus. First appears c. 1302.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈvɝd͡ʒuːs/, /ˈvɝd͡ʒəs/

Noun

verjuice (usually uncountable, plural verjuices)

1. A very acidic juice made by pressing unripe grapes.
   • 1631, Francis [Bacon], “I. Century.”, in Sylua Syluarum: Or A Naturall Historie. In Ten Centuries. […], 3rd edition, London: […] William Rawley; [p]rinted by J[ohn] H[aviland] for William Lee […], paragraph 79, page 25, →OCLC:

     In this inſtance, there is (vpon the by) to be noted the Percolation, or Suing of the Veriuyce thorow the VVood; So as it ſeemeth, it muſt be firſt in a kinde of Vapour, before it paſſe.

Derived terms

• verjuiced

Translations

very acidic juice

• Arabic: حصرم (ḥuṣrum)
• Bulgarian: кисел сок m (kisel sok)
• Catalan: agràs m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 酸葡萄汁 (suānpútáozhī)

• Finnish: verjuis
• French: verjus (fr) m
• Galician: agraz (gl) m
• Georgian: მჟავე წვენი (mžave c̣veni)
• German: Verjus m, Agrest m
• Greek: αγουρίδα (el) f (agourída)
• Italian: agresto m
• Middle English: vergeous
• Occitan: agràs (oc)
• Persian: آبغوره (fa) (âb-ğure)
• Portuguese: agraço (pt) m
• Russian: вержу́с m (veržús)
• Spanish: verjus m, agraz (es) m
• Turkish: koruk suyu (tr)
• Welsh: ferdis m, gwyrddsug m

Verb

verjuice (third-person singular simple present verjuices, present participle verjuicing, simple past and past participle verjuiced)

1. (transitive) To render something sour; to embitter.
   • 1892, W[illiam] G[eorge] Thorpe, “Early Life and School Days”, in The Still Life of the Middle Temple with Some of Its Table Talk Preceded by Fifty Years’ Reminiscences, London: Richard Bentley and Son […], page 3:

     There are few names to which a jingle or a joke cannot be fitted—witness, Twining, banker and tea-dealer: / ‘Twining would be whining / Were’t not for his tea;’ / and the ex-Lord Mayor, Sir John Key, where the inherent rhyme to ‘donkey’ verjuiced the baronetcy.