Etymologically
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sugar

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 15 October 2026 at 20:38. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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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
  • 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