English

eye candy

From eye + candy.

A compound of eye + candy

Proto-Indo-European *h₃ekʷ- ‘eye’

Proto-Germanic *augô

Proto-West Germanic *augā

Old English ēage

Middle English e

English eye

Persian کند ‘candied sugar’

Arabic قَنْد ‘rock candy’

Arabic سُكَّر قَنْدِي

Old French sucre candi

Middle English sugre candy

English candy

The story

Early-1980’s US TV and advertising jargon, perhaps influenced by earlier nose candy (‘cocaine’).

noun A very attractive person or persons, or the salient visible physical attributes thereof.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / eye candy