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sweet

EnglishEdit

 
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EtymologyEdit

From Middle English sweete, swete, from Old English swēte (“sweet”), from Proto-Germanic *swōtuz (“sweet”), from Proto-Indo-European *swéh₂dus (“sweet”).

Cognate and synonymous with Scots sweit, North Frisian sweete, West Frisian swiet, Low German sööt, Dutch zoet, German süß, Danish sød, Swedish söt, Norwegian søt, Latin suāvis, Sanskrit स्वादु (svādú), Ancient Greek ἡδύς (hēdús).

PronunciationEdit

AdjectiveEdit

sweet (comparative sweeter, superlative sweetest)

  1. Having a pleasant taste, especially one relating to the basic taste sensation induced by sugar.
    a sweet apple
  2. Having a taste of sugar.
  3. (wine) Retaining a portion of sugar.
    Sweet wines are better dessert wines.
  4. Not having a salty taste.
    sweet butter
  5. Having a pleasant smell.
    a sweet scent.
  6. Not decaying, fermented, rancid, sour, spoiled, or stale.
    sweet milk
  7. Having a pleasant sound.
    a sweet tune
  8. Having a pleasing disposition.
    a sweet child
  9. Having a helpful disposition.
    It was sweet of him to help out.
  10. (mineralogy) Free from excessive unwanted substances like acid or sulphur.
    sweet soil
    sweet crude oil
  11. (informal) Very pleasing; agreeable.
    The new Lexus was a sweet birthday gift.
    • 14 November 2014, Steven Haliday, Scotland 1-0 Republic of Ireland: Maloney the hero
      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.
  12. (slang) Doing well; in a good or happy position.
    • 2012, John Hoskison, Inside: One Man's Experience of Prison
      "Visit in two days though," said Tommo. "Hang in there mate, got a joey coming, we'll be sweet then."
  13. (informal, followed by on) Romantically fixated, enamoured with, fond of
    The attraction was mutual and instant; they were sweet on one another from first sight.
  14. (obsolete) Fresh; not salt or brackish.
    sweet water
    • 1826, Francis Bacon, The Works of Francis Bacon, page 66:
      The white of an egg, or blood mingled with salt water, doth gather the saltness and maketh the water sweeter; this may be by adhesion.}}
    • 1821, Robert Thomas, The modern practice of physic, page 713:
      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.
  15. Pleasing to the eye; beautiful; mild and attractive; fair.
    a sweet face; a sweet colour or complexion

SynonymsEdit

AntonymsEdit

Derived termsEdit

TranslationsEdit

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

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)

  1. In a sweet manner.
    • 1598, Shakespeare, Love's Labour Lost, Act 1 Scene 1:
      "and, sweet my child, let them be men of good repute and carriage."
      (and, my child, allow them sweetly to be men with good reputations and conduct)

SynonymsEdit

TranslationsEdit

NounEdit

sweet (countable and uncountable, plural sweets)

  1. (uncountable) The basic taste sensation induced by sugar.
  2. (countable, Britain) A confection made from sugar, or high in sugar content; a candy.
  3. (countable, Britain) A food eaten for dessert.
    Can we see the sweet menu, please?
  4. Sweetheart; darling.
  5. (obsolete) That which is sweet or pleasant in odour; a perfume.
  6. (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.

SynonymsEdit

Derived termsEdit

TranslationsEdit

basic taste sensation induced by sugar — see sweetness
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

VerbEdit

sweet (third-person singular simple present sweets, present participle sweeting, simple past and past participle sweeted)

  1. (obsolete or poetic) To sweeten.
    • 1825, John Breckinridge & C.R. Harrison, Western Luminary ... - Volume 1, page 318:
      In size and shape it resembles the heart of a calf, and the interior substance is similar to thick cream, sweeted with fine sugar.
    • 1890, The Cincinnati Lancet-clinic - Volume 63, page 331:
      It might also be given in the form of a mixture — the drug being insoluble in a watery menstruum — suspended by the aid of mucilage and sweeted by any of the various flavoring syrups.
    • 1997, Morag Styles, From the Garden to the Street, →ISBN:
      Bring me now where the warm wind blows, where the grasses sigh, where the sweet-tongued blossom flowers; where the shower, fan soft like a fishermans net thrown through the sweeted air.
    • 2012, Keith Ringkamp, PATIENCE WORTH: A Balm for Every Ill, →ISBN, page 34:
      A sour maketh sweets two-fold sweeted.

AnagramsEdit

Middle DutchEdit

EtymologyEdit

From Old Dutch *swēt, from Proto-Germanic *swait-.

NounEdit

swêet n

  1. sweat, perspiration

InflectionEdit

This noun needs an inflection-table template.

Alternative formsEdit

Derived termsEdit

DescendantsEdit

Further readingEdit

  • “sweet”, in Vroegmiddelnederlands Woordenboek, 2000
  • “sweet”, in Middelnederlandsch Woordenboek, 1929
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