sugar

Pronunciation

• IPA: UK /ˈʃʊɡ.ə/, US /ˈʃʊɡ.ɚ/^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English sucre, later sugre,^[2][3] borrowed from Old French sucre,^[2][3] from Italian zucchero^[4][5] and Medieval Latin succarum,^[2][3] from Arabic سُكَّر (sukkar),^[2][3] from Persian shakar,^[2][3][6] ultimately from Sanskrit शर्करा (śárkarā, “ground or candied sugar; gravel, grit”),^[2][3][6] cognate with Greek krokē “pebble”.^[2] The Arabic word with the article gave Spanish azúcar,^[2][3] and its forms are found in most European languages, such as German Zucker and Polish cukier.^[2][3] The reason for the g in the English word is obscure.^[2] It is related to saccharine, sucrose and candy.^[3][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

A sweet crystalline substance from plant juices: the late 13th century in Etymonline;^[2] the OED's earliest forms are from 1289–90.^[7]

Semantic evolution

Its Old World home was India, and it remained exotic in Europe until the Arabs grew it in Sicily and Spain;^[2] only after the Crusades did it begin to rival honey as a sweetener.^[2] The Spaniards were raising sugar cane in the West Indies by 1506.^[2] The shift from s- to sh- is probably from the initial long vowel syu-, as in sure.^[2] As a general name for a class of chemical compounds it is from 1826.^[2] The verb, “to sweeten with sugar”, is from the early 15th century, also figuratively, “to make more pleasing”.^[2] Its slang use as a euphemism for an oath is attested by 1891,^[2] and as a term of endearment by 1930.^[2] Sugar-tongs are from 1708 and the sugar maple from 1731.^[2]

Timeline

• 1289–90 – the sweet substance.^[7]
• early 15th century – verb, to sweeten.^[2]
• 1506 – sugar cane in the West Indies.^[2]
• 1708 – sugar-tongs.^[2]
• 1826 – a class of chemical compounds.^[2]
• 1891 – a mild oath.^[2]
• 1930 – a term of endearment.^[2]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A sweet crystalline substance, chiefly sucrose from sugar cane or sugar beet.
2. Any of a class of sweet, water-soluble carbohydrates, such as glucose and fructose.
3. A lump or spoonful of sugar.
4. (informal) Sweetheart; darling.

Verb

1. To coat, cover or sweeten with sugar.
2. To make less unpleasant or more appealing: sugar the pill.

Interjection

1. (informal) A mild oath expressing annoyance.

Word family

• sugarer
• sugarless
• sugarlike
• sugared
• sugar off

Related words

• saccharine
• sucrose
• candy
• sugary
• jaggery

References

1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
4. ^ a b Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
7. ^ a b Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press