Meaning
An item of confectionery consisting of a piece of candy or sweet attached to a stick.
Etymology
Origin: Unknown
By surface analysis, loll (“laze, hang loose”) + y + pop (“shot, try, burst, enter”); likely through lolly (“head, tongue”). Attested from 1784. Compare lollygag and lollypoop. An unlikely derivation is from Romani loli (“red”) + phabaj (“apple”); candy apples are often red and placed on a stick to keep the person's hands dry, similar to lollipops. However candy apples were not well-known until a century after the first known use of the word lollipop, and the original lollipop was likely a small item like modern penny candy.
Synonyms & Antonyms
NYT Puzzle Appearances
Accepted in 12 recorded puzzles: