tsukkõr

Latvian cukurs acquired the <c> (/ts/) sound only in the 19th century, before that it is attested as sukurs. Karulis thinks that the Latvian term was borrowed via a historical Livonian form sukker.[1] Suhonen, in turn, list the modern Livonian tsukkõr as borrowed from Latvian cukurs, alongside he also lists sukkur from the comparably poorly attested Salaca Livonian and the form cukars from Dundaga Latvian[2] (close to the modern Livonian speaking area), the latter is essentially identical to the modern Livonian term in its phonetic makeup.

This would not be the only example of re-borrowing, compare, for example, Livonian būojõ from Latvian bojāt which ultimately from Livonian pūoj.

If both Karulis and Suhonen be right, then the origin of this term is tsukkõr < Latvian cukurs < Livonian sukker ~ sukkur < German Zucker < Italian zucchero < Latin zuccarum < Arabic سُكَّر‎ (sukkar) < Persian شکر‎ < Sanskrit शर्करा (śarkarā).

• IPA^(key): /t̪sukːər/

tsukkõr

1. sugar