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worcestershire

n. uncountable
B2 Upper Intermediate US //ˈwʊstəʃɝ// worces·ter·shire

n. a county in the West Midlands of England. Most people know the name because of a famous dark, spicy sauce used to flavor food.

n. a non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands of England. In general usage, the term almost exclusively refers to the fermented liquid condiment originally created in the city of Worcester.


SIMPLE

I always add a few drops of Worcestershire sauce to my soup.

CONTEXTUAL

The recipe calls for a tablespoon of Worcestershire to give the beef stew a deeper, more savory flavor.

COMPLEX

While the name refers to an English county, the global recognition of Worcestershire is primarily due to the commercial success of the pungent sauce first bottled there in the nineteenth century.

Origin

From Middle English Wyrcestreschire, from Old English Weogornaċeastresċīr; equivalent to Worcester + -shire.

Usage

Usually functions as a modifier in the compound noun 'Worcestershire sauce', though often used alone in culinary contexts.

Pitfall

Wor-ces-ter-shire sauceWoos-ter-sher sauceThe pronunciation is highly irregular; the 'ce' is silent and the 'r' is often dropped in British English.

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