treacle English · revision 349

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /ˈtɹiː.kəl/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|enm|triacle|t=antidote for poison]],^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(MW Collegiate) [[bor|fro|triacle|t=antidote]],^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline) [[der|la|theriaca]],^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU) [[der|grc|θηριακή|tr=thēriakḗ|t=antidote against poisonous animals]],^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(MW Collegiate) the feminine of ''thēriakós'' “of wild animals”,^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU) from ''thēríon'', a diminutive of ''thḗr'' “wild animal”.^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU) Etymonline adds an intermediate Vulgar Latin ''*triacula''.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ A medicinal compound used as an antidote against poison, especially snakebite.^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1995)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ From the antidote it came to mean any sovereign remedy.^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989) The sense “molasses”, the uncrystallized syrup left from sugar refining, is recorded from 1694,^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline) perhaps from its resemblance to the medicinal syrup or its supposed medicinal properties;^(Etymonline) Barnhart links it to the use of molasses as a laxative.^(Barnhart 1995) From its sweetness came the sense of something cloyingly sweet or sentimental, recorded from 1771.^(Barnhart 1995)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 1300 – ''triacle'', the antidote;^(Etymonline) the OED and Barnhart give 1340, and RHWU 1275–1325.^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1995)^(RHWU)

+ * 1544 – any sovereign remedy.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1694 – molasses.^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1995)

+ * 1731–3 – a sweet syrup obtained from trees and plants.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1771 – cloying sweetness or sentiment.^(Barnhart 1995)

+ * 1838 – verb, to smear or sweeten with treacle.^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # ''(chiefly British)'' Molasses, or golden syrup.^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)

+ # Cloying sentimentality.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(obsolete)'' A medicinal compound formerly used as an antidote to poison.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ===Verb===

+ # To smear with treacle, especially to catch moths.^(OED 1989)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[treacly]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[theriac]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}