sherbet n.

late 14c., "thick, sweet liquid," from Old French sirop "sugared drink" (13c.), and perhaps from Italian siroppo, both from Arabic sharab "beverage, wine," literally "something drunk," from verb shariba "he drank" (compare sherbet). Spanish jarabe, jarope, Old Provençal eissarop are from Arabic; Italian sciroppo is via Medieval Latin sirupus. In English, formerly also sirup, sirop.

1580s, "cooling drink of fruit juice and water, sherbet," from French sorbet (16c.), probably from Italian sorbetto, from Turkish serbet (see sherbet, which is the same Eastern word taken more directly and not through French). The form in Italian was perhaps influenced by Italian sorbire "to sip." The meaning "semi-liquid water ice as a dessert" is recorded by 1864.