Treacle refers to molasses, but also to heavily sweet or cloying sentimentality. It originated from the Greek word for 'wild animal,' evolving to mean an antidote against poison before developing its modern senses.
Treacle is molasses, or excessively sweet and cloying sentimentality, originating from the Greek word for 'wild animal,' which led to 'antidote against a poisonous bite.'
| Word | treacle |
|---|---|
| Date | May 11, 2008 |
| Type | noun |
| Syllables | TREE-kul |
| Etymology | The long history of "treacle" begins in ancient Greece. The Greek word "thēriakos," meaning "of a wild animal," came from "thērion" ("wild animal"). Since wild animals are often known to bite, these words gave rise to "thēriakē," meaning "antidote against a poisonous bite." Latin borrowed "thēriakē" as "theriaca," and the word eventually entered Anglo-French -- and then Middle English -- as "triacle." The senses of "treacle" that refer to molasses developed from the earlier "antidote" sense. The "molasses" sense, in turn, was extended to give us a word for things excessively sweet or sentimental. |
| Examples | The film is engaging for about an hour, but then it nose-dives into sentimental treacle and never recovers. |
| Definition | 1 : a medicinal compound formerly in wide use as a remedy against poison 2 a : molasses b : a blend of molasses, invert sugar, and corn syrup used as syrup 3 : something (as a tone of voice) heavily sweet and cloying |
Tags: wordoftheday::noun
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