Candy, specifically sugar candy, is a confection made from a concentrated solution of sugar in water, to which flavorings and colorants are added. Candy can be from sweet to sour. Candies come in numerous colors and varieties and have a long history in popular culture. The word "candy" comes from the Sanskrit "çahn-da", meaning "piece (of sugar)," which again perhaps from Dravidian (cf. Tamil kantu "candy," kattu "to harden, condense")." In North America, candy is a broad category that includes candy bars, chocolates, licorice, sour candies, salty candies, tart candies, hard candies, taffies, gumdrops, marshmallows, and more. Vegetables, fruit or nuts glazed and coated with sugar are called candied.
Outside North America, the generic name for candy is sweets or confectionery (UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and other Commonwealth countries). In Australia and New Zealand, sweets are, in normal usage, further categorized as either chocolate or lollies (for all other non-chocolate candies).
In North America, the UK, and Australia, the word lollipop refers specifically to sugar candy on a stick. While not used in the generic sense of North America, the term candy is used in the UK for specific types of foods such as candy floss (cotton candy in North America and fairy floss in Australia), and certain other sugar based products.