treacle

[ tree-kuhl ]

See synonyms for treacle on Thesaurus.com

noun

contrived or unrestrained sentimentality: a movie plot of the most shameless treacle.
British.
- molasses, especially that which is drained from the vats used in sugar refining.
- Also called golden syrup. a mild mixture of molasses, corn syrup, etc., used in cooking or as a table syrup.

Pharmacology, Obsolete. any of various medicinal compounds, formerly used as antidotes for poison.

Origin of treacle

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English, variant of triacle “antidote,” from Middle French, Old French, from Latin thēriaca, from Greek thēriakḗ, noun use of feminine of thēriakós “concerning wild beasts,” equivalent to thērí(on) “wild beast” (thḗr “wild beast” + -ion diminutive suffix) + -akos -ac

Other words from treacle

trea·cly [tree-klee], /ˈtri kli/, adjective

Words Nearby treacle

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use treacle in a sentence

Dessert is a slice of melt-in-your-mouth treacle tart with a dollop of perfectly tart clotted cream.
Join The Mile High (Dining) Club | Allison McNearney | September 26, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
It dripped down from my head to my toes in slow motion, as if treacle had been poured over me.
I Was Australia’s Anna Wintour | Kirstie Clements | April 3, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
His treacle paintings simultaneously evoke heaven, Candy Land—that beloved childhood board game—and a Katy Perry video.
Inside Will Cotton's Candy World | Isabel Wilkinson | November 2, 2011 | THE DAILY BEAST
The King slabbed it on with the enjoyment of a child messing with treacle.
The Napoleon of Notting Hill | Gilbert K. Chesterton
When the pork and the meal and the treacle were bestowed in the basket, it was so heavy she could not manage to carry it.
The Carpenter's Daughter | Anna Bartlett Warner

So treacle hath this effect, and many such like, which are hot and dry when taken after connexion.
The Works of Aristotle the Famous Philosopher | Anonymous
Through the porous substance of these stalks the molasses or treacle slowly drained off.
Out on the Pampas | G. A. Henty
The recipe was brimstone and treacle, but the brimstone predominated, and was the more operative ingredient.
Flowers of Freethought | George W. Foote

British Dictionary definitions for treacle

treacle

/ (ˈtriːkəl) /

noun

Also called: black treacle British a dark viscous syrup obtained during the refining of sugar
British another name for golden syrup

anything sweet and cloying
obsolete any of various preparations used as an antidote to poisoning

Origin of treacle

C14: from Old French triacle, from Latin thēriaca antidote to poison

Derived forms of treacle

treacly, adjective
treacliness, noun

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

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