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Dè cho sean ʼs a tha am facal ‘²õ¾±Ã¹³¦²¹°ù’ ann an Gàidhlig? Tha MacBheathain ag innse dhuinn anns an fhaclair aige – Etymological Dictionary of the Gaelic Language – gur ann às a’ Bheurla Mheadhanaich sugre a thàinig e. Bidh sibh eòlach air an fhacal ann an grunn chànanan Eòrpach – mar eisimpleir, ²õ¾±Ã¹³¦°ù²¹ ann an Gàidhlig na h-Èireann, zucker ann an Gearmailtis agus sucre ann am Fraingis. Tha na faclan sin uile càirdeach do chèile.

ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý Chan eil am facal ²õ¾±Ã¹³¦²¹°ù anns a’ Bhìoball Ghàidhlig, ge-tà. No, ma thà, cha d’ fhuair mise lorg air. A bheil sin na iongnadh? Chanainn nach eil. Cha robh muinntir na Roinn Eòrpa eòlach air ²õ¾±Ã¹³¦²¹°ù ri linn sgrìobhadh a’ Bhìobaill.

A rèir choltais, thòisich mac-an-duine air cuilc an t-siùcair fhàs ann an eileanan a’ Chuain Sèimh. Sin sugar cane – cuilc an t-siùcair. Chaidh an t-eòlas sin chun nan Innseachan, an uair sin gu Persia agus an uair sin do na dùthchannan Arabach. Agus chaidh am facal leis an lus. Shakar ann am Persianais, sukkar ann an Arabais, sucre ann am Fraingis.

Thathar dhen bheachd gun do ràinig ²õ¾±Ã¹³¦²¹°ù Sasainn anns an aonamh linn deug. Bha ridirean nan cogaidhean-croise a’ tilleadh dhachaigh bhon ear-mheadhanach. Thug iad fios mu shiùcar leotha. Aig an àm sin, bha ²õ¾±Ã¹³¦²¹°ù gu math daor.

Ìý

Ach cuin a thuirt Gàidheal am facal ‘²õ¾±Ã¹³¦²¹°ù’ airson a’ chiad turais? Chan eil fhios a’m. Agus, ged a tha muinntir ceann a tuath na Roinn Eòrpa a’ fàs biotais siùcair an-diugh, cha do thòisich sin gu timcheall Bliadhna Theàrlaich anns an ochdamh linn deug.

Ged nach eil am facal ²õ¾±Ã¹³¦²¹°ù anns a’ Bhìoball, tha cuid dhen bheachd gu bheilear ag ainmeachadh cuilc an t-siùcair ann. Mar eisimpleir, ann an Leabhar Ieremiah Caibideil 6, Rann 20 tha seo ann (tha an Tighearna a’ bruidhinn): C’uim an tig tùis o Sheba thugam-sa, agus a’ chuilc chùbhraidh o dhùthaich fad-às?

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How old is the word ²õ¾±Ã¹³¦²¹°ù [sugar] in Gaelic? MacBain tells us in his dictionary – Etymological Dictionary of the Gaelic Language – that it came from the Middle English sugre. You’ll know the word in several European languages – for example, ²õ¾±Ã¹³¦°ù²¹ in Irish Gaelic, zucker in German and sucre in French. All those words are related to each other.

ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý The word ²õ¾±Ã¹³¦²¹°ù isn’t in the Gaelic Bible, however. Or, if it is, I haven’t found it. Is that a surprise? I’d say not. The people of Europe weren’t familiar with sugar at the time of the writing of the Bible.

ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý Apparently, humans started growing ciulc an t-siùcair in the Pacific Islands. That’s sugar cane – cuilc an t-siùcair. That knowledge went to India, then to Persia and then to the Arab countries. And the word went with the plant. Shakar in Persian, sukkar in Arabic, sucre in French.

ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý It’s thought that sugar reached England in the eleventh century. The knights of the crusades were returning home from the middle east. They took knowledge about sugar with them. At that time sugar was very expensive.

ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý But when did a Gael utter the word ‘²õ¾±Ã¹³¦²¹°ù’ for the first time. I don’t know. And, although the people of northern Europe grow sugar beet today, that didn’t start until around ‘the year of Charlie’ (1745-6) in the eighteenth century.

ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý Although the word sugar isn’t in the Bible, some people think that sugar cane is named there. For example, in the Book of Jeremiah, Chapter 6, Verse 20 there is this (the Lord is speaking): What use is it should incense come to me from Sheba, and sweet cane from a distant land?