lollipop
UK /ˈlɒlipɒp/ · US /ˈlɑlipɑp/ noun, verb
Forms lollipops lollipopping lollipopped lolli-pop lollypop lolly pop lolly-pop
- noun An item of confectionery consisting of a piece of candy or sweet attached to a stick.
- noun Something having the shape of a lollipop: a linear stem connected to a round body.
- noun (motor racing) A sign on a stick held in front of the vehicle during a pit stop.
- verb (horticulture) To prune the lower branches of a tree or other plant so that new growth appears only at the top, where more light is received.
Synonyms
lolly sucker lasso semiloop ice lolly popsicle all-day sucker
Etymology
By surface analysis, loll (“laze, hang loose”) + y + pop (“shot, try, burst, enter”); likely through lolly (“head, tongue”). Attested from 1784. Compare lollygag and lollypoop.
An unlikely derivation is from Romani loli (“red”) + phabaj (“apple”); candy apples are often red and placed on a stick to keep the person's hands dry, similar to lollipops. However candy apples were not well-known until a century after the first known use of the word lollipop, and the original lollipop was likely a small item like modern penny candy.
Webster’s 1913
Etymology [Perhaps fr. Prov. E. loll to soothe + pope a mixed liquor.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “lollipop”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details