Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
castor sugar

castor sugar

3.4
A very fine sugar bakers use for baking and sprinkling
  • noun
  • /ˈkæstər ˈʃʊɡər/
  • UK
translation icon : azúcar glas
  • The recipe calls for two tablespoons of castor sugar to ensure a light texture.

Examples

  • She sprinkled a little castor sugar over the warm tart before serving.

  • If you can't find castor sugar, you can pulse regular sugar in a food processor until fine.

  • I need some castor sugar for the cake.

  • The recipe calls for castor sugar instead of regular sugar.

  • She sprinkled a little castor sugar over the warm tart before serving.

  • The recipe calls for two tablespoons of castor sugar to ensure a light texture.

  • If you can't find castor sugar, you can pulse regular sugar in a food processor until fine.

Synonyms

caster sugar
vscastor sugar
  • UK
3.4

A very fine sugar for baking and to sweeten drinks

is used in baking and was traditionally sprinkled from a small container

How Fine

icing sugar
  • UK
1 1.6
castor sugar
  • UK
3.4

Surface Forms

castor sugar singular
castor sugars plural

Morphology

castor + sugar

The compound is compositionally transparent: 'castor' (a perforated container for sprinkling) + 'sugar' yields sugar intended to be dusted from a castor, i.e. very finely granulated sugar used in baking. This noun+noun naming pattern is straightforward and a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the meaning (despite regional spelling variants like 'caster sugar').

Etymology

Castor sugar may come from the small container called a castor that people used to sprinkle sugar from. Because the sugar had to be fine enough to pass through the holes of the castor, the name now means 'very fine sugar' used for baking and sprinkling.