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

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

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

Young adults who ate more UPFs also showed signs of insulin resistance, a condition in which the body becomes less efficient at using insulin to manage blood sugar.

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In that setting, particularly among those with underlying heart or kidney disease, the drugs helped improve blood sugar levels, lowered the risk of related complications, aided weight reduction, and reduced the likelihood of early death.

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The drink he gives me to try is gritty and tastes like chocolate without sugar.

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"Bread is very expensive, sugar is expensive, tea is expensive, fruit is expensive. So we have to vote for her!" said 76-year-old Mireya Ortiz, who cleans offices to supplement her meager pension.

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These molecules form when proteins or fats bind to sugars, a process that occurs more frequently in people with diabetes.

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Related Words

• carbohydrate