molassesn.

Etymology: Probably < Portuguese melaços, plural of melaço (although this is first attested only in the 18th cent.) or Spanish melazos , plural of melazo (first attested 1730 as both singular and plural), cognate with Italian melazzo (1567) < post-classical Latin mellacium must (early 4th cent., with -ium for classical Latin -eum ), use as noun of neuter of an unattested adjective *mellaceus of the nature of honey < classical Latin mell- , mel honey (see mell n.²) + -āceus (see -aceous suffix). A feminine form ( < post-classical Latin *mellacea, neuter plural) occurs in Spanish melaza (a1734), French mélasse (1664; 1588 in Middle French as mellasse; > Italian melassa (1780; a1769 as melazza)): these may be the source of some of the English forms. Compare also post-classical Latin melassis (1570 in a British source).The -o- in the initial syllable may perhaps reflect the labialization of the unstressed -e- between m- and -l- , although it is clear that many of the variant spellings are simply intended to represent the presence of an indeterminate weak vowel in this syllable. The word was adopted in the plural form, probably because the syrup is made from the uncrystallized leftovers of the raw sugar, and this has remained usual except in the application to an alcoholic spirit (see molass n.). The word is construed as singular, except in southern and central U.S. regional usage, where it is frequently construed as plural (see Dict. Amer. Regional Eng. s.v.).