Etymograph

English

molasses

Molasses may come from Portuguese melaços.

  1. Portuguesec. 1500–presentmelaçosuncertain
  2. Englishearliest quotation 1777molasses

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

Earlier history uncertain.

Lineage

  1. Portuguesec. 1500–presentmelaçosuncertain
  2. Englishearliest quotation 1777molasses

Earliest quotation: 1777, Sept. 13, Manessah Cutler: “Boiled some cornstalk juice into molasses.”

The story

Some alternative forms derived or influenced by Spanish melaza and French mélasse, conjectured to derive from unattested Late Latin mellacea, from mel + -ācea.

Linked words

through Late Latin mel ‘honey’

mel, mell, 9 more

Today it means

noun A thick, sweet syrup drained from sugarcane, especially (Canada, US) the still thicker and sweeter syrup produced by boiling down raw molasses.

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

Etymograph / Portuguese melaços / molasses

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