Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “Sugar” come from?

Sugar (English) comes from German zucker, from German zücken, from Middle High German zucken, from Old High German zucken, from Proto-Germanic tukkijaną, from Proto-Germanic tug-, from Frankish -wald, from Frankish wald — to be strong, be powerful, prevail, possess.

Ancestry of “Sugar”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germanzuckerinflection of zuckern: ## first-person singular...
2Germanzückento draw
3Middle High Germanzucken—
4Old High Germanzucken—
5Proto-GermanictukkijanąTo draw; snatch; pull out; whip out
6Proto-Germanictug-—
7Frankish-wald—
8Frankishwaldpower, mastery, dominion; reigning; ruling
9Proto-Germanicwaldazleader
10Proto-Germanicwaldanąto rule
11Proto-Indo-Europeanwaldʰ-to be strong, be powerful, prevail, possess

Words derived from “Sugar”

  • Sugar
Every word from Proto-Indo-European waldʰ- →