Back to all words

Treacle

4 stages from Greek to English.

Today it means thick sticky syrup from refining sugar; cloying sentimentality

Where does the word "treacle" come from? It comes from Greek thēriakḗ, passing through Latin and Old French before entering English (1600s).

thēriakḗ→theriaca→triacle→treacle

Greek · ancient

'antidote to venomous bites', from thērion 'wild beast'; the physician Galen prepared theriac for Emperor Marcus Aurelius to take daily

Latin · classical

a complex remedy of dozens of ingredients, bound with lots of honey

Old French · 1200s

"medicinal compound"

a cure-all medicine; 'Venice treacle' was a famous imported brand

English · 1600s

the sweet syrup that carried the medicine gave its name to the syrup left from sugar refining

Drag to pan · scroll to zoom

Read the full story

Treacle’s story begins in Greek: thēriakḗ meant “antidote.” 'antidote to venomous bites', from thērion 'wild beast'; the physician Galen prepared theriac for Emperor Marcus Aurelius to take daily. By classical, the word had taken hold in Latin as theriaca. A complex remedy of dozens of ingredients, bound with lots of honey. From there it passed into Old French as triacle by 1200s. A cure-all medicine; 'Venice treacle' was a famous imported brand. It reached English by 1600s as treacle. The sweet syrup that carried the medicine gave its name to the syrup left from sugar refining. Today, treacle means thick sticky syrup from refining sugar; cloying sentimentality.