Sugar Came to Europe Through Arabic and Sanskrit
Sugar is a sweet crystalline substance. Its name travelled from India through Persia and Arabia into Europe.
Sugar is a sweet crystalline substance obtained from cane or beet. The word traces the trade route: Sanskrit *sharkara* meant ground or candied sugar, Persian took it as *shakar*, Arabic as *sukkar*, and it reached Europe through Arabic-speaking Sicily and Spain. *Candy* followed the same road, from Sanskrit *khanda*, a piece. Sugar was a costly spice in medieval Europe, sold by apothecaries, and became cheap only with plantation agriculture.
- A sweet crystalline substance. *A spoon of sugar.*
- Sanskrit — *sharkara*. *The origin.*
- Arabic — *sukkar*. *The route.*
- Candy — from the same road. *Candy.*
- Sucrose — the chemical name. *Sucrose.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | sugar | Sugar. |
| Verb | sugar | Sugar it. |
| Adjective | sugary | Sugary. |
| Chemical | sucrose | Sucrose. |
| Sanskrit | sharkara | Sugar. |
- Add sugar to taste.Cooking.
- Sharkara travelled through Persia.Etymology.
- Apothecaries once sold it.History.
The word's journey west
- Sanskrit *sharkara* — ground or candied sugar
- Persian *shakar*
- Arabic *sukkar*
- Medieval Latin *succarum*, then Italian *zucchero*
- Old French *sucre*, then English *sugar*
Old French *sucre*, from Medieval Latin *succarum*, from Arabic *sukkar*, from Persian *shakar*, from Sanskrit *sharkara*.
Where does the word sugar come from?
Ultimately from Sanskrit sharkara, travelling through Persian and Arabic into Latin and then into European languages.
Was sugar always cheap?
No. In medieval Europe it was a costly spice sold by apothecaries. Plantation agriculture made it an everyday commodity.