*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of sorb

Borrowed from Middle French sorbier (the tree), sorbe (the fruit), from Latin sorbus (the tree), sorbum (the fruit). See service tree.

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
noun

The service tree, Sorbus domestica. · Any of various related trees, including the wild service tree, S. torminalis, and the rowan, S. aucuparia. · The fruit of any of these trees, especially of the service tree.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Borrowed from Middle French sorbier (the tree), sorbe (the fruit), from Latin sorbus (the tree), sorbum (the fruit). See service tree.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "frm",
        "3": "sorbier"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle French sorbier"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "sorbus"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin sorbus"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "service tree",
      "service tree"
    ],
    [
      "sorbier",
      "sorbier#Middle_French"
    ],
    [
      "sorbe",
      "sorbe#Middle_French"
    ],
    [
      "sorbus",
      "sorbus#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "sorbum",
      "sorbum#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "service tree",
      "service tree#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "The service tree, Sorbus domestica.",
        "Any of various related trees, including the wild service tree, S. torminalis, and the rowan, S. aucuparia.",
        "The fruit of any of these trees, especially of the service tree."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "30c22a45ee3ee09488e024b449d23787f067c72f1dc683f8f6bbd65ed4a6c39b",
      "rawRecordSha256": "a1a8c5881865b832ef4d3c5eafe4ecf835adf210a6828c83157029b12ebb785a",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 233564
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
verb

To absorb or adsorb.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Back-formation from absorb and adsorb; ultimately from Latin sorbeō.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "back-formation",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "absorb"
      },
      "expansion": "Back-formation from absorb"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "sorbeō"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin sorbeō"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "absorb",
      "absorb#English"
    ],
    [
      "adsorb",
      "adsorb#English"
    ],
    [
      "sorbeō",
      "sorbeo#Latin"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To absorb or adsorb."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "b9b617c38055f781e8b51f83026f613e4d343d6bcb601381423147740188761d",
      "rawRecordSha256": "8c6a6b7c0fbbefbbdb03212ce79c37e077702fa1ab1bdf8e9fad83641ac0666d",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 233565
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
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  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for sorb →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-c29yYg