: any of an economically important genus (Sorghum) of Old World tropical grasses similar to corn in habit but with the spikelets in pairs on a hairy rachis
especially: any of various cultivars (such as grain sorghum or sorgo) derived from a wild form (S. bicolor synonym S. vulgare)
2
: syrup from the juice of a sorgo that resembles cane syrup
Illustration of sorghum
sorghum 1
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the WebIn the Sahel-Sudan (south of the Sahara), pearl millet—which originates from an area that includes Mali and Mauritania—and guinea corn (sorghum) are the traditional staple ingredients for food, drinks (kunu), and beer (burukutu and pito). Uwagbale Edward-ekpu, Quartz, 2 Sep. 2022 The key is to have a batch of cooked grain in the refrigerator ready to go: Quinoa, farro, sorghum, barley and bulgur are all good options. Ellie Krieger, Washington Post, 11 Aug. 2022 That’s why his farm, A Tumbling T Ranches, turned to forage crops like sorghum, which can tolerate high levels of salt.AZCentral.com, 8 Aug. 2022 For example, research shows that women are more likely to take on the time-consuming manual work of weeding, threshing and cooking; weeding a single hectare of sorghum by hand takes up to 324 hours of labor. Vivian Polar, Scientific American, 25 July 2022 The loss of wheat from Ukraine, supply-chain delays and soaring inflation have led to sharp rises in the prices of cooking oil and staples like rice and sorghum. Abdi Latif Dahir, BostonGlobe.com, 12 June 2022 The goal is seeing which genes directly influence plant growth to find the best combination in plants like sorghum. Lee Roop | Lroop@al.com, al, 27 July 2022 Marvin Frink is walking through a field of bright green sorghum grass beneath a scorching North Carolina sun. Eileen Finan, PEOPLE.com, 14 July 2022 Distilled from sorghum and rice, a batch of Moutai goes through eight rounds of subterranean fermentation over the course of a year, a process that gives the spirit an almost savory flavor resembling soy sauce. Ziyu Zhang, CNN, 24 May 2022 See More
Word History
Etymology
New Latin, from Italian sorgo, from Vulgar Latin *Syricum (granum), literally, Syrian grain