moer, noun1

/muːr/
Forms:
Also mor, moor.
Origin:
DutchShow more Dutch, sediment, dregs, yeast.
1. In full moer wortel/-ˌvɔrt(ə)l//-ˌvɔːt(ə)l/ [South African Dutch, from Dutch moer + wortel root]: any of several plants whose roots are used as a yeast. a. The gli, Peucedanum gummiferum. b. karriemoer, see karrie noun3 sense 2.
1796 C.R. Hopson tr. of C.P. Thunberg’s Trav. II. 150Moor wortel is an umbelliferous plant, from the root of which and honey the Hottentots make, by fermentation, an intoxicating liquor.
1838 J.E. Alexander Exped. into Int. I. 155The people..were..drinking honey beer, made with honey and water, mixed in a bambus, and fermented by means of a root called ‘mor,’ but which I only saw when ground.
1913 C. Pettman Africanderisms 321Moer wortel,..The root of Anacampseros ustulata, E. Mey. employed in making ‘karree’ and ‘karree moer’.
1966 C.A. Smith Common Names 341Moerwortel(tjie), Glia gummifera..see Gli. The root..was formerly used by the Hottentots for making an intoxicating liquor (mead)...Occasionally Anacampseros..,..Euphorbia decussata..Orthanthera jasminiflora.
2. ?obsolete Yeast; any raising agent.
1868 J. Chapman Trav. I. 273A little barm, or ‘moer,’ obtained from the Kuruman people.
1930 M. Raubenheimer Tested S. Afr. Recipes 55When required, use about one teaspoon of the ‘Moer.’ Dissolve in a cup of warm water. Make a sponge in the ordinary way in the morning by adding meal.
The gli, Peucedanum gummiferum.
karriemoer, see karrie noun3 sense 2.
Yeast; any raising agent.
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