Sugars

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A category of sweet-tasting carbohydrates utilized for quick energy while also being essential in various food and beverage products for flavor enhancement
2. Different types of soluble carbohydrates that provide a sweet flavor and function as rapid energy sources in numerous edible items and drinks
3. Crystalline substances that are sweet and soluble, commonly used as sweeteners in cooking and baking ; simple dietary carbohydrates like glucose and fructose that provide energy and occur naturally in many foods

Etymology: Sugar's name began as a word for grit. The Proto-Indo-European root "ḱorkeh₂" meant "gravel," and the same root gave Ancient Greek "krókē," meaning "pebble," which is also the source of "crocodile." The sense passed through Sanskrit "śárkarā," meaning crushed or granular sugar, and then travelled westward through Middle Persian and Arabic "sukkar," reaching Italy as "zucchero" and France as "çucre." English took it from Old French and first recorded it as "sugre" in Middle English. The plural "sugars" is the form of "sugar" used for more than one kind of this substance, such as glucose, fructose and sucrose. "Sugar" itself is inherited from Middle English, so its path from Sanskrit grit to the sweet crystals on a kitchen shelf is a long one.

Synonyms: sweets, saccharides

Antonyms: bitterness, sourness