Comfit

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈkʌmfɪt/

Definitions

1. A confection made by coating a nut, seed, or piece of fruit in sugar or a syrup, enhancing its sweetness and flavor while preserving it
2. A sweet treat that involves encasing a nut, seed, or fruit in a sugary layer, adding both taste and longevity to the snack
3. A sweet indulgence consisting of a sugar-coated nut, seed, or fruit that enhances the flavor while prolonging its shelf life

Etymology: Before it meant a sugar-coated sweet, "comfit" was a general term for any food preserved in sugar, and the sense has narrowed considerably since. The word passed into English from Old French "confit," meaning "preserved fruit," which in turn derives from the Latin "cōnfectum," the neuter past participle of "cōnficere," "to make up or prepare." The Latin verb is built from "con-," "together," and "facere," "to make," so the underlying idea is simply something thoroughly put together. Comfit is a doublet of "confect," "confetto," "confit," and "konfyt," all descended from the same Latin source and carried into different languages with slightly different shapes and meanings. "Confit" survives in French as a term for meat preserved in its own fat, showing how far the root's sense of "preserved" could stretch.

Synonyms: candy, confection