sugar

• POS: Noun, Verb (intransitive), Verb (transitive)
• HYPHEN: sug=ar

CIDE DICTIONARY

sugar, n. [OE. sugre, F. sucre (cf. It. zucchero, Sp. azúcar), fr. Ar. sukkar, assukkar, fr. Skr. çarkarā sugar, gravel; cf. Per. shakar. Cf. Saccharine, Sucrose.].

•  A sweet white (or brownish yellow) crystalline substance, of a sandy or granular consistency, obtained by crystallizing the evaporated juice of certain plants, as the sugar cane, sorghum, beet root, sugar maple, etc. It is used for seasoning and preserving many kinds of food and drink. Ordinary sugar is essentially sucrose. See the Note below.  [1913 Webster]

  " The term sugar includes several commercial grades, as the white or refined, granulated, loaf or lump, and the raw brown or muscovado. In a more general sense, it includes several distinct chemical compounds, as the glucoses, or grape sugars (including glucose proper, dextrose, and levulose), and the sucroses, or true sugars (as cane sugar). All sugars are carbohydrates. See Carbohydrate. The glucoses, or grape sugars, are ketone alcohols of the formula C6H12O6, and they turn the plane of polarization to the right or the left. They are produced from the amyloses and sucroses, as by the action of heat and acids of ferments, and are themselves decomposed by fermentation into alcohol and carbon dioxide. The only sugar (called acrose) as yet produced artificially belongs to this class. The sucroses, or cane sugars, are doubled glucose anhydrides of the formula C12H22O11. They are usually not fermentable as such (cf. Sucrose), and they act on polarized light."  [1913 Webster]
•  By extension, anything resembling sugar in taste or appearance; as, sugar of lead (lead acetate), a poisonous white crystalline substance having a sweet taste.  [1913 Webster]
•  Compliment or flattery used to disguise or render acceptable something obnoxious; honeyed or soothing words.  [1913 Webster]

  "Why, do not or know you, grannam, and that sugar loaf?"  [1913 Webster]

sugar, v. i. 

 In making maple sugar, to complete the process of boiling down the sirup till it is thick enough to crystallize; to approach or reach the state of granulation; -- with the preposition off.  [1913 Webster]

sugar, v. t. 

•  To impregnate, season, cover, or sprinkle with sugar; to mix sugar with.  G. Eliot.  [1913 Webster]
•  To cover with soft words; to disguise by flattery; to compliment; to sweeten; as, to sugar reproof.  [1913 Webster]

  "With devotion's visage
  And pious action we do sugar o'er
  The devil himself."  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

sugar, n. & v.
--n.
1 a sweet crystalline substance obtained from various plants, esp. the sugar cane and sugar beet, used in cookery, confectionery, brewing, etc.; sucrose.
2 Chem. any of a group of soluble usu. sweet-tasting crystalline carbohydrates found esp. in plants, e.g. glucose.
3 esp. US colloq. darling, dear (used as a term of address).
4 sweet words; flattery.
5 anything comparable to sugar encasing a pill in reconciling a person to what is unpalatable.
6 sl. a narcotic drug, esp. heroin or LSD (taken on a lump of sugar).
--v.tr.
1 sweeten with sugar.
2 make (one's words, meaning, etc.) more pleasant or welcome.
3 coat with sugar (sugared almond).
4 spread a sugar mixture on (a tree) to catch moths.

Idiom

sugar beet a beet, Beta vulgaris, from which sugar is extracted. sugar-candy see CANDY 1. sugar cane Bot. any perennial tropical grass of the genus Saccharum, esp. S. officinarum, with tall stout jointed stems from which sugar is made. sugar-coated
1 (of food) enclosed in sugar.
2 made superficially attractive. sugar-daddy (pl. -ies) sl. an elderly man who lavishes gifts on a young woman. sugar-gum Bot. an Australian eucalyptus, Eucalyptus cladocalyx, with sweet foliage eaten by cattle. sugar loaf a conical moulded mass of sugar. sugar-maple any of various trees, esp. Acer saccharum, from the sap of which sugar is made. sugar of lead Chem. = lead acetate (see LEAD(2)). sugar-pea a variety of pea eaten whole including the pod. sugar the pill see PILL. sugar soap an alkaline compound for cleaning or removing paint.

Derivative

sugarless adj.

Etymology

ME f. OF {ccedil}ukre, sukere f. It. zucchero prob. f. med.L succarum f. Arab. sukkar

THESAURUS

sugar

ambrosia, angel, artificial sweetener, babe, baby, baby-doll, blackstrap, blunt, boodle, brass, bread, bucks, buttercup, cabbage, calcium cyclamate, candy, cane syrup, carbohydrate, cherub, chick, chickabiddy, chips, clover honey, comb honey, corn syrup, cyclamates, darling, dear, deary, dinero, doll, dough, duck, duckling, dulcify, edulcorate, edulcoration, gelt, gilt, glaze, grease, green, green stuff, hon, honey, honey bunch, honey child, honeycomb, honeydew, honeypot, hydroxy aldehyde, hydroxy ketone, jack, kale, lamb, lambkin, love, lover, maple syrup, mazuma, molasses, monosaccharide, moolah, mopus, mull, nectar, oil of palms, ointment, oof, ooftish, pet, petkins, polysaccharide, polysaccharose, precious, precious heart, rhino, rocks, saccharide, saccharification, saccharify, saccharin, scratch, shekels, simoleons, smash, snookums, sodium cyclamate, sorghum, spondulics, starch, stuff, stumpy, sugar off, sugar-making, sugarcoat, sugaring off, sweet, sweeten, sweetener, sweetening, sweetheart, sweetie, sweetkins, sweets, syrup, the needful, tin, treacle, trisaccharide, wampum

ROGET THESAURUS

sugar

Favorite

N favorite, pet, cosset, minion, idol, jewel, spoiled child, enfant gat_e, led captain, crony, fondling, apple of one's eye, man after one's own heart, persona grata, love dear, darling, duck, duckey, honey, sugar, jewel, mopsey, moppet, princess, sweetheart, sweetie, teacher's pet, general favorite, universal favorite, idol of the people.

Sweetness

N sweetness, dulcitude, sugar, syrup, treacle, molasses, honey, manna, confection, confectionary, sweets, grocery, conserve, preserve, confiture, jam, julep, sugar-candy, sugar-plum, licorice, marmalade, plum, lollipop, bonbon, jujube, comfit, sweetmeat, apple butter, caramel, damson, glucose, maple sirup, maple syrup, maple sugar, mithai, sorghum, taffy, nectar, hydromel, mead, meade, metheglin, honeysuckle, liqueur, sweet wine, aperitif, sugar cane, sugar beets, desert, pastry, pie, cake, candy, ice cream, tart, puff, pudding (food), dulcification, dulcoration, sweetener, corn syrup, cane sugar, refined sugar, beet sugar, dextrose, artificial sweetener, saccharin, cyclamate, aspartame, Sweet'N Low, sweet, saccharine, sacchariferous, dulcet, candied, honied, luscious, lush, nectarious, melliferous, sweetened, sweet as a nut, sweet as sugar, sweet as honey, sickly sweet, eau sucr_ee, sweets to the sweet.