verjuice

/ˈvɝd͡ʒuːs/

Etymology

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

Why this word is great

VERJUICE — [Noun] A highly acidic juice made by pressing unripe grapes, crab-apples, or other sour fruit, used in cooking. From Middle English verjous, vergeous, from Old French vertjus, verjus (modern French verjus), from vert ("green") + jus ("juice"). Unlike vinegar (which is fermented and sharp with age) or lemon juice (which bursts with citrus brightness), verjuice is the quiet, green bite of potential—fruit arrested in its youth. It is the tartness of grapes still clinging to the vine in early summer, the astringent pucker of a crab-apple plucked too soon, or the way a medieval cook might sharpen a sauce without overwhelming it. A reminder that sourness, too, can be delicate.

noun

A very acidic juice made by pressing unripe grapes, crab-apples, or other sour fruit.“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.”

verb

To render something sour; to embitter.“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.”