sweet
See also: Sweet
Contents
EnglishEdit
EtymologyEdit
From Middle English sweete, swete, from Old English swēte (“sweet”), from Proto-Germanic *swōtuz (“sweet”), from Proto-Indo-European *swéh₂dus (“sweet”). Cognate with Scots sweit, North Frisian sweete, West Frisian swiet, Low German sööt, Dutch zoet, German süß, Danish sød, Swedish söt,Norwegian søt, Latin suāvis (“sweet”).
PronunciationEdit
AdjectiveEdit
sweet (comparative sweeter, superlative sweetest)
- Having a pleasant taste, especially one relating to the basic taste sensation induced by sugar.
- a sweet apple
- Having a taste of sugar.
- Containing a sweetening ingredient.
- (wine) Retaining a portion of sugar.
- Sweet wines are better dessert wines.
- Not having a salty taste.
- sweet butter
- 1821, Robert Thomas, The modern practice of physic
- Nothing has been found so effectual for preserving water sweet at sea, during long voyages, as charring the insides of the casks well before they are filled.
- Having a pleasant smell.
- a sweet scent
- Longfellow
- The breath of these flowers is sweet to me.
- Not decaying, fermented, rancid, sour, spoiled, or stale.
- sweet milk
- Having a pleasant sound.
- a sweet tune
- Nathaniel Hawthorne
- a voice sweet, tremulous, but powerful
- Having a pleasing disposition.
- a sweet child
- Having a helpful disposition.
- It was sweet of him to help out.
- (mineralogy) Free from excessive unwanted substances like acid or sulphur.
- sweet soil
- sweet crude oil
- (informal) Very pleasing; agreeable.
- The new Lexus was a sweet birthday gift.
-
2014 November 14, Stephen Halliday, “Scotland 1-0 Republic of Ireland: Maloney the hero”, in The Scotsman[1]:
- GORDON Strachan enjoyed the sweetest of his 16 matches in charge of Scotland so far as his team enhanced their prospects of Euro 2016 qualification with a crucial and deserved victory over Republic of Ireland.
- (informal, followed by on) Romantically fixated, enamored (followed by with), fond (followed by of).
- The attraction was mutual and instant; they were sweet on one another from first sight.
- (obsolete) Fresh; not salt or brackish.
- sweet water
- (Can we find and add a quotation of Francis Bacon to this entry?)
- Pleasing to the eye; beautiful; mild and attractive; fair.
- a sweet face; a sweet colour or complexion
- Milton
- Sweet interchange / Of hill and valley, rivers, woods, and plains.
SynonymsEdit
- (having a taste of sugar): saccharine, sugary
- (containing a sweetening ingredient): sugared, sweetened
- (not having a salty taste): fresh, unsalty
- (having a pleasant smell): fragrant, odoriferous, odorous, perfumed, scented, sweet-scented, sweet-smelling
- (not decaying, fermented, rancid, sour, spoiled, or stale): fresh, unfermented, wholesome
- (having a pleasant sound): dulcet, honeyed, mellifluous, mellisonant
- (having a pleasing disposition): cute, lovable, pleasant
- (having a helpful disposition): kind, gracious, helpful, sensitive, thoughtful
- ((informal) very pleasing): rad, awesome, wicked
AntonymsEdit
- (having a pleasant taste): bitter, sour, salty
- (containing a sweetening ingredient): nonsweet, sugarless, unsugared, unsweetened, unsweet
- (of wines: retaining a portion of natural sugar): dry
- (not decaying, fermented, rancid, sour, spoiled, or stale): decaying, fermented, rancid, sour, spoiled, stale
- (not having a salty taste): salty, savoury
- (free from excessive unwanted substances): sour
- ((informal) very pleasing): lame, uncool
Derived termsEdit
Terms derived from sweet
TranslationsEdit
having a pleasant taste
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having a taste of sugar
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containing a sweetening ingredient
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of a wine: retaining a portion of sugar
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not having a salty taste
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having a pleasant smell
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not decaying, rancid, sour, spoiled, or stale
having a pleasant sound
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having a pleasing disposition
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having a helpful disposition
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free from excessive unwanted substances
colloquial, very good
- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout#Translations.
Translations to be checked
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Usage notesEdit
- Also used as a positive response to good news or information: They're making a sequel? Ah, sweet!
AdverbEdit
sweet (comparative more sweet, superlative most sweet)
- In a sweet manner.
- (Can we find and add a quotation of Shakespeare to this entry?)
SynonymsEdit
- (in a sweet manner): sweetly
TranslationsEdit
in a sweet manner
NounEdit
sweet (countable and uncountable, plural sweets)
- (uncountable) The basic taste sensation induced by sugar.
- (countable, Britain) A confection made from sugar, or high in sugar content; a candy.
- (countable, Britain) A food eaten for dessert.
- Can we see the sweet menu, please?
- sweetheart; darling.
- Ben Jonson
- Wherefore frowns my sweet?
- Ben Jonson
- (obsolete) That which is sweet or pleasant in odour; a perfume.
- Milton
- a wilderness of sweets
- Milton
- (obsolete) Sweetness, delight; something pleasant to the mind or senses.
- 1613, John Marston, William Barksted, The Insatiate Countess, III.2:
- Fear's fire to fervency, which makes love's sweet prove nectar.
- 1613, John Marston, William Barksted, The Insatiate Countess, III.2:
SynonymsEdit
- (sweet taste sensation): See sweetness
- (food that is high in sugar content): bonbon, candy (US), confection, confectionery, lolly (Australia)
- (food eaten for dessert): See dessert
Derived termsEdit
TranslationsEdit
basic taste sensation induced by sugar — see sweetness
sugary confection
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food eaten for dessert — see dessert
sweetheart — see sweetheart
- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout#Translations.
Translations to be checked
StatisticsEdit
Most common English words before 1923 in Project Gutenberg: wrote · chief · company · #605: sweet · duty · heavy · single