- Canadian the boiling down of maple sap to produce sugar, traditionally a social event in early spring
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
sugaring off n
sug•ar /ˈʃʊgɚ/USA pronunciation
n.
v. [~ + object]
sug•ar•y, adj.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- Chemistry, Biochemistrya sweet, crystalline substance made esp. from sugarcane and the sugar beet;
sucrose: [uncountable]two cups of sugar.[countable]I'd like two sugars for my coffee, please. - Chemistry, Biochemistry[countable] any other plant or animal substance of the same class of carbohydrates, as fructose or glucose.
v. [~ + object]
- to cover, sprinkle, mix, or sweeten with sugar.
sug•ar•y, adj.
sug•ar
(shŏŏg′ər),USA pronunciation n.
v.t.
v.i.
sug′ar•less, adj.
sug′ar•like′, adj.
- Chemistrya sweet, crystalline substance, C12H22O11, obtained chiefly from the juice of the sugarcane and the sugar beet, and present in sorghum, maple sap, etc.: used extensively as an ingredient and flavoring of certain foods and as a fermenting agent in the manufacture of certain alcoholic beverages;
sucrose. Cf. beet sugar, cane sugar. - Chemistrya member of the same class of carbohydrates, as lactose, glucose, or fructose.
- (sometimes cap.) an affectionate or familiar term of address (sometimes offensive when used to strangers, casual acquaintances, subordinates, etc., esp. by a male to a female).
- a word formerly used in communications to represent the letter S.
- Slang Termsmoney.
- Drugs, Slang Terms[Slang.]LSD
v.t.
- to cover, sprinkle, mix, or sweeten with sugar.
- to make agreeable.
v.i.
- to form sugar or sugar crystals.
- to make maple sugar.
- sugar off, (in making maple sugar) to complete the boiling down of the syrup in preparation for granulation.
- Arabic sukkar; obscurely akin to Persian shakar, Greek sákcharon (see sacchar-)
- Italian zucchero
- Medieval Latin succārum
- Middle French sucre
- Middle English sugre, sucre (noun, nominal) 1250–1300
sug′ar•like′, adj.