sweetstuff

Why this word is great

SWEETSTUFF — [Noun] Any sweet, sugary edible; confectionery. From sweet (Old English swēte, "pleasing to the senses") + stuff (Old French estoffe, "material"). Unlike "candy" (which implies factory-wrapped precision) or "confectionery" (which suggests the polished artistry of a patissier), sweetstuff is the democratic, catch-all term for sugar in all its humble glory. It is the sticky smear of honey on a child’s fingers, the crumbly mess of a hastily wrapped toffee, or the illicit thrill of pilfered sugar cubes dissolving grain by grain under the tongue—proof that sweetness, in any form, is the simplest alchemy of joy.