Etymology

jaggery

jag·ge·ry
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Today it means: A traditional dark-brown unrefined sugar made from palm tree sap which is used throughout South and Southeast Asia; (by extension) other types of unrefined sugar. Full definition →

Indo-Portuguese jágara ← Malayalam ചക്കര ← Tamil சக்கரை
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The story

  1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*ḱorkeh₂“boulder; gravel”
  2. Sanskrit · derived fromशर्करा“candied or ground sugar; (chiefly in the plural) grit, gravel, shingle; gravelly soil; pebble”
  3. Tamil · derived fromசக்கரை
  4. Malayalam · derived fromചക്കര“jaggery”
  5. Indo-Portuguese · borrowed fromjágara
  6. English todayjaggery

PIE word *ḱorkeh₂ Borrowed from Indo-Portuguese jágara, jagra, from Malayalam ചക്കര (cakkara, “jaggery”) or Tamil சக்கரை (cakkarai), from Sanskrit शर्करा (śarkarā, “candied or ground sugar; (chiefly in the plural) grit, gravel, shingle; gravelly soil; pebble”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱorkeh₂ (“boulder; gravel”). Doublet of sugar.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.