molasses
[muh-las-iz]
- a thick syrup produced during the refining of sugar or from sorghum, varying from light to dark brown in color.
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Origin of molasses
1575–85; earlier molassos, molasso(e)s < Portuguese melaços, plural of melaço (< Late Latin mellācium half-boiled new wine, for *mellāceum, neuter of *mellāceus honeylike, equivalent to mell-, stem of mel honey + -āceus -aceous)
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Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for molasses
Contemporary Examples
Molasses in the gears of a Democratic EPA could be a worthy goal for many Republicans these days.
Mix soy sauce, molasses, broth, salt, and sesame oil together, along with 1-2 tablespoons of the cooking liquid.
This is the kind of thing that makes for backyard fence chit chat, and it can stick like molasses.
With the count proceeding at a molasses rate, none of the networks were able to make projections in the tight three-way contests.
Mitt Romney Stays in the Hunt in the Dixie Primaries of Alabama and MississippiHoward Kurtz
March 14, 2012
They work in a vast rural factory that resembles an old steel mill and smells like molasses.
Historical Examples
Eat it with wine sauce, or with sugar and butter, or molasses.
Directions for Cookery, in its Various BranchesEliza Leslie
Serve it up hot, and eat it with wine sauce, or with butter and molasses.
Directions for Cookery, in its Various BranchesEliza Leslie
Or you may eat them with molasses and butter after the meat is removed.
Directions for Cookery, in its Various BranchesEliza Leslie
Send them to table hot, and eat them with butter, honey, or molasses.
Directions for Cookery, in its Various BranchesEliza Leslie
Who could wish a better supper than ripe berries and molasses?
The Village Watch-Tower(AKA Kate Douglas Riggs) Kate Douglas Wiggin
molasses
- the thick brown uncrystallized bitter syrup obtained from sugar during refining
- US and Canadian a dark viscous syrup obtained during the refining of sugarAlso called (in Britain and certain other countries): treacle
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Word Origin
C16: from Portuguese melaço, from Late Latin mellāceum must, from Latin mel honey
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for molasses
n.
1580s, from Portuguese melaço, from Late Latin mellaceum "new wine," properly neuter of mellaceus "resembling honey," from Latin mel (genitive mellis) "honey" (see Melissa). Adopted in English in plural form, but regarded as a singular noun.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper