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. Compare beet sugar, cane sugar.
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. (in making maple sugar) to complete the boiling down of the syrup in preparation for granulation.

Sugar

¹

/ ˈʃʊɡə /

noun

1. SugarAlan (Michael) Baron1947MBritishBUSINESS: businessman 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 calledsucrosesaccharose 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 saccharine
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. sugar the pill or sugar the medicine
   to make something unpleasant more agreeable by adding something pleasant

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

sugar

/ shg′ər /

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.

Derived Forms

• ˈsugar-ˌlike, adjective
• ˈsugarless, adjective

Other Words From

• sugar·less adjective
• sugar·like adjective
• non·sugar 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

These soil-dwelling microbes fix nitrogen for specialized plants like legumes in return for sugars and protection.

From Science Daily

“If I drink really good tequila and I don’t do any sugar — no margaritas — I can get as drunk as I want, and I’ll have no hangover.”

From Los Angeles Times

The result is massive health costs, with sugars linked to obesity around the world.

From Salon

Although the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood, scientists think that some of the hallmarks of diabetes -- such as high blood sugar, insulin resistance, and inflammation -- may encourage the development of dementia in the brain.

From Science Daily

"For this study, we often had to reach out to participants to ask what kind of meat they'd put in their sandwich, or whether their coffee had sugar in it," Dr. Kleinberg explains.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• carbohydrate