sauce Meaning, Definition & Usage

Sauce noun

Etymology

F., fr. OF. sausse, LL. salsa, properly, salt pickle, fr. L. salsus salted, salt, p.p. of salire to salt, fr. sal salt. See Salt, and cf. Saucer, Souse pickle, Souse to plunge.

Definitions

1. A composition of condiments and appetizing ingredients eaten with food as a relish; especially, a dressing for meat or fish or for puddings; as, mint sauce; sweet sauce, etc. "Poignant sauce." Chaucer.

   High sauces and rich spices fetched from the Indies. Sir S. Baker.

2. Any garden vegetables eaten with meat. Prov. Eng. & Colloq. U.S. Forby. Bartlett.

   Roots, herbs, vine fruits, and salad flowers . . . they dish up various ways, and find them very delicious sauce to their meats, both roasted and boiled, fresh and salt. Beverly.

3. Stewed or preserved fruit eaten with other food as a relish; as, apple sauce, cranberry sauce, etc. U.S. "Stewed apple sauce." Mrs. Lincoln (Cook Book).
4. Sauciness; impertinence. Low. Haliwell.

Sauce transitive verb

Etymology

Cf. F. saucer.

Wordforms

imperfect & past participle Sauced ; present participle & verbal noun Saucing

Definitions

1. To accompany with something intended to give a higher relish; to supply with appetizing condiments; to season; to flavor.
2. To cause to relish anything, as if with a sauce; to tickle or gratify, as the palate; to please; to stimulate; hence, to cover, mingle, or dress, as if with sauce; to make an application to. R.

   Earth, yield me roots; Who seeks for better of thee, sauce his palate With thy most operant poison! Shak.

3. To make poignant; to give zest, flavor or interest to; to set off; to vary and render attractive.

   Then fell she to sauce her desires with threatenings. Sir P. Sidney.

4. To treat with bitter, pert, or tart language; to be impudent or sancy to. Colloq. or Low

   I'll sauce her with bitter words. Shak.

Sauce noun

Etymology

F.

Definitions

1. (Fine Art) A soft crayon for use in stump drawing or in shading with the stump.