Confections

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Sweet treats that are the result of blending sugar with different ingredients for flavor and texture
2. Edible creations made from sugar and a variety of flavors, often including fruits, chocolate, or nuts
3. Foods typically consisting of sugar combined with flavorings or other ingredients to create sweet items ; sweets or candies crafted by mixing sugar with nuts, chocolate, fruit, or other flavorings

Etymology: "Confections" is the plural of "confection," and the word's original sense had nothing to do with sugar. Its Latin ancestor, "conficere," meant "to prepare" or "to make up," built from "con-" ("with") and "facere" ("to make, do"). The Latin noun "confectio" meant the act of making something by combining ingredients, so a confection was first a process rather than a product. The word reached English through Old French "confeccion" and appeared in Middle English as "confescioun." Its meaning narrowed over time. Medieval writers used it for compounded preparations of all kinds, including medicines mixed with sugar or honey, and the sense of a sweet made by combining ingredients grew more dominant. By the 1500s, candy and light pastry had become the predominant meaning, and the word now mostly refers to these sweet foods.

Synonyms: sweets, treats, candies