molasses

Etymology

Molasses comes from Portuguese melaços or Spanish melazos, from Late Latin mellacium (“must, honey-sweet thing”), formed from mel (“honey”), -āceus (“-aceous”) and -ium (see there for more). Some alternative forms were derived from or influenced by Spanish melaza and French mélasse, which are conjectured to derive from the unattested Late Latin mellacea, from mel and -ācea.