different between nasty vs sour

English

Etymology

From Middle English nasty, nasti, naxty, naxte (“unclean, filthy”), probably from Old Norse *nask- +? -y, whence also Early Modern English nasky (“nasty”). Compare Swedish naskig, naskug (“nasty, dirty, messy”), Swedish and Danish nasket (“dirty, foul, unpleasant”). Compare also Low German nask (“nasty”).

Alternative theories include:

• From Old French nastre (“bad, strange”), shortened form of villenastre (“infamous, bad”), from vilein (“villain”) + -astre (pejorative suffix), from Latin -aster.
• Middle Dutch nestich, nistich ("nasty, dirty, unpleasant"; > Modern Dutch nestig (“dirty, filthy, unclean”)), perhaps ultimately connected to the Scandinavian word above.
• Other suggestions include Old High German naz (“wet”), hardening of English nesh(y) (“soft”), or alteration of English naughty.
• Modern use of the word is sometimes attributed to the popular and often derogatory 19th century American political cartoons of Thomas Nast, but the word predates him.

Pronunciation

• (AusE) IPA^(key): /?na?.sti/
  • Rhymes: -??sti
• (UK) IPA^(key): /?n??.sti/
  • Rhymes: -??sti
• (US) IPA^(key): /?næs.ti/
  • Rhymes: -æsti

Adjective

nasty (comparative nastier, superlative nastiest)

1. (now chiefly US) Dirty, filthy. [from 14th c.]
   • 2006, Marie Fontaine, The Chronicles of my Ghetto Street Volume One, p. 156:

     I really don't have any friends at school Mama Mia. They talk about me all the time. They say my hair's nappy and my clothes are nasty.

2. Contemptible, unpleasant (of a person). [from 15th c.]
   • 1897, Bram Stoker, Dracula:

     Jonathan kept staring at him, till I was afraid he would notice. I feared he might take it ill, he looked so fierce and nasty.

3. Objectionable, unpleasant (of a thing); repellent, offensive. [from 16th c.]
   • 1838, Charles Dickens, Oliver Twist:

     ‘It's a nasty trade,’ said Mr. Limbkins, when Gamfield had again stated his wish.

4. Indecent or offensive; obscene, lewd. [from 17th c.]
   • 1933, Dorothy L Sayers, Murder Must Advertise:

     He said to Mr. Tallboy he thought the headline was a bit hot. And Mr. Tallboy said he had a nasty mind.

   • 2009, Okera H, Be Your Priority, Not His Option, Mill City Press 2009, p. 45:

     We want threesomes, blowjobs, and orgies. That's just the way it is. We want the good girl who's nasty in bed.

5. Spiteful, unkind. [from 19th c.]
   • 2012, The Guardian, 3 Jun 2012:

     She had said: "I love the block button on Twitter. I don't know how people expect to send a nasty comment and not get blocked."

6. (chiefly Britain) Awkward, difficult to navigate; dangerous. [from 19th c.]
   • 2007, The Observer, 5 Aug 2007:

     There was a nasty period during the First World War when the family's allegiance was called into question - not least because one of the Schroders had been made a baron by the Kaiser.

7. (chiefly Britain) Grave or dangerous (of an accident, illness etc.). [from 19th c.]
   • 2012, James Ball, The Guardian, 2 Mar 2012:

     Moving into the middle ages, William the Conqueror managed to rout the English and rule the country, then see off numerous plots and assassination attempts, before his horse did for him in a nasty fall, killing him at 60.

8. (slang, chiefly US) Formidable, terrific; wicked. [from 20th c.]

Translations

Derived terms

• nastygram

Noun

nasty (plural nasties)

1. (informal) Something nasty.

2. (euphemistic, slang, preceded by "the") Sexual intercourse.
3. A video nasty.
   • 1984, ThirdWay (volume 7, number 5, page 17)

     In this way, it is hoped that the nasties will be dealt with, and the remainder regularized.

Derived terms

• do the nasty
• video nasty

References

Anagrams

• Ansty, Santy, Tansy, Yants, antsy, tansy

English

Alternative forms

• sower, sowre (obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle English sour, from Old English s?r (“sour”), from Proto-West Germanic *s?r, from Proto-Germanic *s?raz (“sour”), from Proto-Indo-European *súHros (“sour”). Cognate with West Frisian soer, Dutch zuur (“sour”), Low German suur, German sauer (“sour”), Danish, Swedish and Norwegian sur, French sur (“sour”), Faroese súrur (“sour”), Icelandic súr (“sour, bitter”).

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /?sa?(?)?/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?sa??/
• Rhymes: -a??(?)
• Rhymes: -a?.?(?)

Adjective

sour (comparative sourer, superlative sourest)

1. Having an acidic, sharp or tangy taste.
   • 2018 May 16, Adam Rogers, Wired, "The Fundamental Nihilism of Yanny vs. Laurel":

     A few types of molecules get sensed by receptors on the tongue. Protons coming off of acids ping receptors for "sour." Sugars get received as "sweet." Bitter, salty, and the proteinaceous flavor umami all set off their own neural cascades.

2. Made rancid by fermentation, etc.

3. Tasting or smelling rancid.

4. (of a person's character) Peevish or bad-tempered.
5. (of soil) Excessively acidic and thus infertile.

6. (of petroleum) Containing excess sulfur.

7. Unfortunate or unfavorable.
8. (music) Off-pitch, out of tune.

Antonyms

• (petroleum): sweet

Derived terms

• go sour
• sourly
• sourness

Translations

Noun

sour (countable and uncountable, plural sours)

1. The sensation of a sour taste.

   (Can we add an example for this sense?)

2. A drink made with whiskey, lemon or lime juice and sugar.

   (Can we add an example for this sense?)

3. (by extension) Any cocktail containing lemon or lime juice.
4. A sour or acid substance; whatever produces a painful effect.
5. The acidic solution used in souring fabric.

Derived terms

• laundry sour

Translations

Verb

sour (third-person singular simple present sours, present participle souring, simple past and past participle soured)

1. (transitive) To make sour.

2. (intransitive) To become sour.
   • 1720, Jonathan Swift, To Stella, on transcribing my Poems

     So the sun's heat, with different powers, / Ripens the grape, the liquor sours.

3. (transitive) To spoil or mar; to make disenchanted.
   • He was prudent and industrious, and so good a husbandman, that he might have led a very easy and comfortable life, had not an arrant vixen of a wife soured his domestic quiet.

4. (intransitive) To become disenchanted.

5. (transitive) To make (soil) cold and unproductive.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Mortimer to this entry?)

6. To macerate (lime) and render it fit for plaster or mortar.
7. (transitive) To process (fabric) after bleaching, using hydrochloric acid or sulphuric acid to wash out the lime.

Derived terms

• besour
• unsour

Translations

Anagrams

• Ruso, ours

French

Adjective

sour (feminine singular soure, masculine plural sours, feminine plural soures)

1. (nonstandard) Alternative form of sûr

Preposition

sour

1. (nonstandard) Alternative form of sur

Middle English

Etymology 1

From Old English s?r

Alternative forms

• sower, soure, sowre

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /su?r/

Adjective

sour

1. sour, acidic, bitter
2. foul-smelling, rancid
3. fermented, curdled
4. unpleasant, unattractive

Descendants

• English: sour
• Scots: sour

Etymology 2

From Old French essorer.

Verb

sour

1. Alternative form of soren (“to soar”)

Romansch

Alternative forms

• (Rumantsch Grischun, Sursilvan, Sutsilvan, Surmiran) sora

Etymology

From Latin soror, from Proto-Indo-European *swés?r.

Noun

sour f (plural sours)

1. (Puter, Vallader) sister

Coordinate terms

• (in terms of gender):
  • (Rumantsch Grischun, Sursilvan, Sutsilvan, Surmiran, Vallader) frar
  • (Puter) frer