From The Food Encyclopedia by Jacques Rolland and Carol Sherman
Also sirup. A saturated or nearly saturated solution of sugar in water, or any sweet and somewhat viscous fluid; specifically, the final uncrystallizable fluid separated from crystallized sugar during the refining process. The word comes from the Arabic sharâb, meaning "drink", the same root from which we derive the word "sherbet", and the Latin siropus, meaning "syrup." See also corn syrup, maple syrup.
