What is the difference between sherbet and sorbet?

Ahh, Joe you should have consulted Julia Child and not Webster. A dictionary might not see much difference between a dish with eggs and one without but a cook book does. And the thesaurus thinks canyon and arroyo are synonyms.
A sorbet is basically fruit juice and other liquid flavors mixed with finely chopped ice or other wise super chilled, it does not contain eggs or dairy products. Sherbet does contain dairy or eggs. A sorbet is like a Snow- cone or shave-ice without so much or as hard ice, a sherbet is usually smoother, closer to ice cream. As far as words go, sherbeRt is a variant word and strictly speaking not correct. If you go to http://www.onelook.com/?w=sherbert&ls=a and click on Merriam-Webster's you'll be sent to "sherbet."
I didn't rate your answer either way 'cause the words have been used in all kinds a ways .Sherbet in the United States must, by law,have a milk-fat content between 1% and 2%, if the milk-fat is lower it CAN be called sorbet. There are no laws defining sorbet. In the United Kingdom the word sherbet used to mean a kind of fizzy powder stirred into various beverages to make effervescing drinks, ( a fizzy Kool-ade, or remember Fizzys?) carbonated drinks mostly replaced that, it's now used to mean the same powder sold as candy. Like Lik-Um-Ade straws or even powdered Pop-Rocks, I guess.

Sherbet is a fizzy powder which you can dip licorice sticks etc in...full of sugar and your teeth's worst enemy but it's really nice!
Sorbet is frozen juice (and sugar...I think), with a similar consistency to ice cream. Lemon is my personal favourite!

Sherbet is like fruit ice cream but sorbet is fruit ice.

Well, according to Websters, not much...

To answer the question the following definitions are available...

According to Websters:
http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=sherbet

Sherbet:

1 : a cold drink of sweetened and diluted fruit juice
2 : an ice with milk, egg white, or gelatin added tive.

According to Websters
http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=sorbet

Sorbet

1 : a fruit-flavored ice served as a dessert or between courses as a palate refresher


If you go to...
http://www.infoplease.com/thesaurus/sorbet

you will see that sorbet and sherbet are actually synonyms

Basically, sorbet is a frozen dessert that consists of fruit juice and simple syrup that is churned and frozen in an ice cream maker, while a sherbet is a sorbet with the addition of dairy, gelatin, or egg white. Sorbets are icier and more refreshing with flavor that hits you immediately, while sherbets will generally have a smoother, richer texture with slightly more subtle and lingering flavor due to the additional ingredients "slowing down" the flavors across your palate

sherbet was originally a drink, sorbet is a frozen dessert

THE FACT IS THERE REALLY IS NOT MUCH DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SORBET AND SHERBET. IN THE USA A FROZEN DESSERT MUST CONTAIN BETWEEN 1% AND 2% MILK FAT TO BE OFFICIALLY CALLED SHERBET, BUT WORLD WIDE BOTH SORBET AND SHERBET MAY OR MAY NOT CONTAIN A SMALL AMOUNT OF MILK PRODUCTS. THEY BOTH ARE FROZEN FRUIT DRINK WITH GELATIN OR SOME OTHER PRODUCT TO MAKE THE TEXTURE SIMILAR TO ICE CREAM. ANY EFFORT TO MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THEM IS INACCURATE. -HR

$2.00 a pint

NotMrJon is right....in the US at traditional yogurt and ice cream shops the ONLY difference in the two is the Dairy addition to the product. Sorbet was the original ice-treat formula, that now lends its popular original flavors to Sherbet. Sorbet would be more like a Sno-Kone rather than a denser ice-cream like product similar to Strawberry Sherbet. Even seen it spelled Sherbert at gas-stations and ice-cream vending machines.

Sherbet originates from the arabic word ( Sharbah-t?), which is derivative of the verb SHARABAH. ( meaning drinking). I guess this arabic word has later entered many other islamic countries mainly Turkish, Farsi and Urdu speaking nations refering to any kind of refreshing non-alcoholic beverege. I beleive that in othmainian empire time this word has been further exported to many eurepean countries.

I have no clue about the Sorbet!

Thanks for the tip Meg. I usually leave the caps on because I'm brutal at typing. Sorbet is French for sherbet - sherbet/charbet is derived from Turkish "serbat/serbet which in turn comes from the Arabic language and originated in the middle east as a drink. Sherbet and sorbet are frozen fruit juice desserts with variations that are not set in stone, and neither one is always made only one way. -HR