sourwood

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noun

A North American deciduous shrubby tree, of the genus Oxydendrum, having deep fissures in its bark, and sour-tasting leaves.

Similar
sorrel treetitiOxydendrum arboreum
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Meanings

nounsourwood (plural sourwoods)

plural sourwoods

  1. A North American deciduous shrubby tree, of the genus Oxydendrum, having deep fissures in its bark, and sour-tasting leaves.

    I let him chew the tip of a burgundy leaf and taste how sourwood got its name.

    2021, Richard Powers, Bewilderment, Hutchinson Heinemann, page 17
  2. An Australian tree, of the genus Hibiscus; the sorrel tree.

Synonyms & antonyms

noundeciduous shrubby tree of eastern North America having deeply fissured bark and sprays of small fragrant white flowers and sour-tasting leaves

Similar
sorrel treetitiOxydendrum arboreum
Broader
angiospermous treeflowering tree
Also see
titi

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

From sour + wood.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

sourwood. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sourwood

MLA

“sourwood.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sourwood. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “sourwood,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sourwood.

Source: sourwood on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.