sugar

[shoog-er]

noun

1. a sweet, crystalline substance, C 1 2 H 2 2 O 1 1 , obtained chiefly from the juice of the sugarcane and the sugar beet, and present in sorghum, maple sap, etc.: used extensively as an ingredient and flavoring of certain foods and as a fermenting agent in the manufacture of certain alcoholic beverages; sucrose.

2. Chemistry.,  a member of the same class of carbohydrates, as lactose, glucose, or fructose.

3. (sometimes initial capital letter),  an affectionate or familiar term of address, as to a child or a romantic partner (sometimes offensive when used to strangers, casual acquaintances, subordinates, etc., especially by a male to a female).

4. a word formerly used in communications to represent the letter S.

5. Slang.,  money.

6. Slang.,  LSD

verb (used with object)

1. to cover, sprinkle, mix, or sweeten with sugar.

2. to make agreeable.

verb (used without object)

1. to form sugar or sugar crystals.

2. to make maple sugar.

verb phrase

1. sugar off,  (in making maple sugar) to complete the boiling down of the syrup in preparation for granulation.

Sugar

¹

/ ˈʃʊɡə /

noun

1. Alan ( Michael ). Baron. born 1947, British electronics entrepreneur; chairman of Amstrad (1968–2008); noted for his BBC series The Apprentice (from 2005)

sugar

²

/ ˈʃʊɡə /

noun

1. Also called: sucrose.  saccharose. a white crystalline sweet carbohydrate, a disaccharide, found in many plants and extracted from sugar cane and sugar beet: it is used esp as a sweetening agent in food and drinks. Formula: C 12 H 22 O 11

2. any of a class of simple water-soluble carbohydrates, such as sucrose, lactose, and fructose

3. informal,  a term of affection, esp for one's sweetheart

4. rare,  a slang word for money

5. a slang name for LSD

verb

1. (tr) to add sugar to; make sweet

2. (tr) to cover or sprinkle with sugar

3. (intr) to produce sugar

4. to make something unpleasant more agreeable by adding something pleasant

   the government stopped wage increases but sugared the pill by reducing taxes

sugar

1. Any of a class of crystalline carbohydrates that are water-soluble, have a characteristic sweet taste, and are universally present in animals and plants. They are characterized by the many OH groups they contain. Sugars are monosaccharides or small oligosaccharides, and include sucrose, glucose, and lactose.

Other Word Forms

• sugar-like adjective
• sugarless adjective
• sugarlike adjective
• nonsugar noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of Sugar¹

1250–1300; Middle English sugre, sucre (noun) < Middle French sucre < Medieval Latin succārum < Italian zucchero < Arabic sukkar; obscurely akin to Persian shakar, Greek sákcharon ( sacchar- )

Word History and Origins

Origin of Sugar¹

C13 suker, from Old French çucre, from Medieval Latin zuccārum, from Italian zucchero, from Arabic sukkar, from Persian shakar, from Sanskrit śarkarā

Example Sentences

There was a moment of concern mid- innings when Devine, who manages Type 1 diabetes, had to halt play to check her blood sugar levels.

Read more on Barron's

There is deep-frying and liberal use of butter, sugar and bacon.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

In boiling water, the vegetable’s starches begin to convert to sugars, bringing out a natural sweetness.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Ms. Belluz and Mr. Hall put forward the usual proposals—restrictions on marketing unhealthy food to children, taxes on soda, and warning labels about added sugar, salt and saturated fat.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

It turns out that for many people, life’s best moments revolve around sugar.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• carbohydrate