■ noun
1》 a sweet crystalline substance obtained especially from ~ cane and ~ beet, consisting essentially of sucrose and used as a sweetener in food and drink.
2》 Biochemistry any of the class of soluble, crystalline, typically sweet-tasting carbohydrates found in living tissues and exemplified by glucose and sucrose.
3》 informal, chiefly N. Amer. used as a term of endearment.
4》 informal a narcotic drug, especially heroin or LSD.
■ verb
1》 sweeten, sprinkle, or coat with ~.
↘make more agreeable or palatable.
2》 [as noun ~ing ] a method of removing unwanted hair by applying a mixture of lemon juice, ~, and water to the skin and then peeling it off together with the hair.
3》 [as noun ~ing ] N. Amer. the boiling down of maple sap until it thickens into syrup or crystallizes into ~.
4》 [usu. as noun ~ing ] Entomology spread a ~ mixture on a tree trunk in order to catch moths.
Derivatives
~less adjective
Origin
ME: from OFr. sukere , from Ital. zucchero , prob. via med. L. from Arab. sukkar .