sourdough
(so̵ur′dō′)
noun
- Dialectal leaven
- fermenting dough saved from one baking to be used for producing fermentation in a later one, thus avoiding the need for fresh yeast
- bread made with such dough
- a prospector or settler in the W U.S. or Canada, esp. one living alone: so called because their staple was sourdough bread
See sourdough in American Heritage Dictionary 4
noun- Sour fermented dough used as leaven in making bread.
- An early settler or prospector, especially in Alaska and northwest Canada.
Origin:
Origin: Sense 2, from an association with using pieces of sourdough to leaven bread in the winter
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