sourdough

From Middle English soure dogh, soure dowhe, soure dowʒ, equivalent to sour +‎ dough, compare German Sauerteig. The senses pertaining to Alaska and the Yukon derive from the distinctive pouches of bread starter worn on a belt or around the neck by experienced prospectors during the Klondike Gold Rush.[1][2]

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈsaʊɚdoʊ/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈsaʊədəʊ/

• Audio (AU)

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• Hyphenation: sour‧dough

sourdough (countable and uncountable, plural sourdoughs)

1. A type of bread dough leavened with yeast and lactobacilli that produce acids giving a sour taste. [from 14th c.]
2. (countable, slang) An old-timer, especially in Alaska. [from 1898]
   • 1944, Ernie Pyle, Brave Men, University of Nebraska Press (2001), page 80:

     "The troops went for those fresh tomatoes like sourdoughs going for gold in the Klondike."

3. (countable, Yukon) A permanent resident of the territory. Someone who has lived in the Yukon during all four seasons.

   Antonym: cheechako

sourdough (not comparable)

1. Made from sourdough.

• sourdough on Wikipedia.Wikipedia