candy
/ˈkæn.di/ noun, verb, proper noun
Forms candies candying candied kandi candee candie candil kandy Candi Candia
- noun (uncountable) Crystallized sugar formed by boiling down sugar syrup.
- noun (uncountable, chiefly Canada, US, Philippines) Edible, sweet-tasting confectionery containing sugar, or sometimes artificial sweeteners, and often flavored with fruit, chocolate, nuts, herbs and spices, or artificial flavors.
- noun (countable, chiefly Canada, US, Philippines) A piece of confectionery of this kind.
- noun (slang, chiefly US) crack cocaine.
- noun (uncountable) An accessory (bracelet, etc.) made from pony beads, associated with the rave scene. “candy kid; candy raver”
- verb (transitive, cooking) To cook in or coat with sugar syrup.
- verb (intransitive) To form into congelations or crystals, especially of sugar or syrup. “Fruits preserved in sugar candy over time.”
- verb (intransitive) To become candy; to solidify into a candylike form or mass.
- noun (obsolete) A unit of weight used in southern India, equal to twenty maunds, roughly equal to 500 pounds avoirdupois but varying locally.
- proper noun A pet form of the female given name Candace or Candice.
- proper noun (historical) The Mediterranean island of Crete.
- proper noun (historical) The Kingdom of Kandy on the island now known as Sri Lanka; (by extension) the British colony of Ceylon on that island.
- proper noun (historical) The city of Kandy, the capital of that kingdom.
- proper noun A surname.
Synonyms
sweet lolly confectionery sweets lollies sugar candy maunee confect sugarcoat glaze
Etymology
From Middle English sugre candy, from Old French sucre candi (literally “candied sugar”), from Arabic سُكَّر قَنْدِي (sukkar qandī), from Arabic قَنْد (qand, “rock candy”), from Persian کند (kand) from Sanskrit खण्ड (khaṇḍa, “piece, fragment, candied sugar, dried molasses”), root खण्ड् (khaṇḍ, “to divide, break into pieces”), or from Proto-Dravidian *kaṇṭu; compare Tamil கண்டு (kaṇṭu, “hard candy”).
From Marathi खंडी (khaṇḍī), from Sanskrit खण्डन (khaṇḍana), from root खण्ड् (khaṇḍ, “to divide, break into pieces”).
From Venetan and Latin Candia, from Ancient Greek Χάνδαξ (Khándax) or Χάνδακας (Khándakas), from Arabic رَبْض الخَنْدَق (rabḍ al-ḵandaq) (in particular Arabic خَنْدَق (ḵandaq), borrowed from Middle Persian *handag (whence Classical Persian هندک (handak, “moat”))), name of the Cretan city of Heraklion under the Emirate of Crete.
From Portuguese Candea, from Tamil கண்டி (kaṇṭi), possibly further from Sinhalese, ultimately from Sanskrit खण्ड (khaṇḍa).
Webster’s 1913
- verb To conserve or boil in sugar; as, to candy fruits; to candy ginger.
- verb To make sugar crystals of or in; to form into a mass resembling candy; as, to candy sirup.
- verb To have sugar crystals form in or on; as, fruits preserved in sugar candy after a time.
- verb To be formed into candy; to solidify in a candylike form or mass.
Etymology [F. candir (cf. It. candire, Sp. azúcar cande or candi), fr. Ar. & Pers. qand, fr. Skr. Khan\'c8da piece, sugar in pieces or lumps, fr. khan\'c8, khad to break.]
Etymology [F. candi. See Candy, v. t.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “candy”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details