sweet - Wiktionary, the free dictionary (original) (raw)

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

Proto-West Germanic *swōtī

English sweet

From Middle English soot, sweete, swete, swoote, from Old English swēte, swoete, swōt, swœ̄te (“sweet”), from Proto-West Germanic *swōtī, from Proto-Germanic *swōtuz (“sweet”), from Proto-Indo-European *swéh₂dus (“sweet”), from *sweh₂d- (“sweet”) + *-us.

Cognates

Cognate with Yola sweet (“sweet”), Saterland Frisian swäit (“sweet”), West Frisian swiet (“sweet”), Alemannic German süeß (“sweet”), Bavarian siaß (“sweet; cute”), Central Franconian söß (“sweet”), Dutch zoet (“sweet”), German süss, süß (“sweet; cute”), Limburgish söüt (“sweet; cute”), Low German seut, sööt (“sweet”), Luxembourgish séiss (“sweet”), Vilamovian ziss (“sweet”), Yiddish זיס (zis, “sweet; cute”), Danish sød (“sweet; cute, pretty”), Faroese søtur (“sweet”), Icelandic sætur (“sweet; cute, pretty”), Norwegian Bokmål and Norwegian Nynorsk søt (“sweet; cute”), Swedish söt (“sweet; cute”); also Latin suāvis (“delicious, pleasant, sweet”), Ancient Greek ἡδύς (hēdús, “sweet; pleasant; glad, pleased”), Albanian shije (“flavour, taste”), Lithuanian sūdyti (“to add salt; to brine, souse”), Armenian քաղցր (kʻaġcʻr, “sweet”), Tocharian A swār (“sweet”), Tocharian B swāre (“sweet, tender”), Sanskrit स्वादु (svādú, “delicious, palatable, savoury, sweet, tasty; dainty, delicate”). Doublet of suave.

sweet (comparative sweeter, superlative sweetest)

  1. Tasting of sugars.
    a sweet apple
    • 2018 May 16, Adam Rogers, “The Fundamental Nihilism of Yanny vs. Laurel”, in Wired:
      A few types of molecules get sensed by receptors on the tongue. Protons coming off of acids ping receptors for "sour." Sugars get received as "sweet." Bitter, salty, and the proteinaceous flavor umami all set off their own neural cascades.
  2. (wine) Retaining a portion of sugar.
    Sweet wines are better dessert wines.
  3. Not of a salty taste.
    sweet butter
  4. Having a pleasant smell; fragrant.
    a sweet scent
    • 1838 October, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, “The Reaper and the Flowers”, in Voices of the Night, Cambridge, Mass.: […] John Owen, published 1839, →OCLC, page 8:
      Though the breath of these flowers is sweet to me, / I will give them all back again.
  5. Not decaying, fermented, rancid, sour, spoiled, or stale.
    sweet milk
  6. Of a pleasant sound.
    a sweet tune
    Smooth jazz music has sweet drum beats and cymbals!
  7. Of a pleasing disposition.
    a sweet child
    It was sweet of her to send some roses for her unwell grandmother.
    You're so sweet!
    • 2017 April 13, Mitchy Collins, Samantha Derosa, Christian Medice, “Broken”, in Finding It Hard to Smile‎[1], performed by Lovelytheband:
      There's something tragic, but almost pure / Think I could love you, but I'm not sure / There's something wholesome, there's something sweet / Tucked in your eyes that I'd love to meet
  8. Of a helpful disposition.
    It was sweet of him to help out.
  9. (mineralogy) Free from excessive unwanted substances like acid or sulphur.
    sweet gas
    sweet soil
    sweet crude oil
  10. (informal) Very pleasing; agreeable.
    The new Lexus was a sweet birthday gift.
  1. (Australia, slang) Doing well; in a good or happy position.
  1. (informal, followed by on) Romantically fixated; enamored with; fond of.
    The attraction was mutual and instant; they were sweet on one another from first sight.
  2. Fresh; not salt or brackish.
    sweet water
  1. (of soil, UK, dated) Alkaline.
  2. Pleasing to the eye; beautiful; mild and attractive; fair.
    a sweet face
    a sweet colour or complexion
  1. An intensifier.
Basic tastes in English (layout · text)
sweet sour salty bitter spicy savory
sweet sour salty bitter spicy savory

sweet

  1. Used as a positive response to good news or information.
    They're making a sequel? Ah, sweet!

sweet (comparative more sweet, superlative most sweet)

  1. In a pleasant manner.

sweet (countable and uncountable, plural sweets)

  1. (uncountable) The basic taste sensation induced by sugar.
  2. (countable, especially UK, India) A confection made from sugar, or high in sugar content; a candy.
  3. (countable, especially UK) A food eaten for dessert.
    Can we see the sweet menu, please?
  4. Synonym of sweetheart, a term of affection.
  5. (obsolete) That which is sweet or pleasant in odour; a perfume.
    • 1667, John Milton, “Book V”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC:
      a wilderness of sweets
  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.

basic taste sensation induced by sugar — see sweetness

sugary confection

food eaten for dessert — see dessert

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

  1. (archaic 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.

From Dutch zweet, from Middle Dutch sweet, from Old Dutch *sweit, *swēt, from Proto-Germanic *swait-, from Proto-Indo-European *sweyd-.

sweet (uncountable)

  1. sweat
    Daar was baie sweet op haar voorhoof.
    There was a lot of sweat on her forehead.

From Dutch zweten, from Middle Dutch swêten.

sweet (present **sweet, present participle swetende, past participle gesweet)

  1. to sweat

From English sweet.

sweet

  1. (Hong Kong Cantonese) romantic

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

swêet n

  1. sweat, perspiration

Strong neuter noun

| | singular | plural | | | ----------- | ------ | - | | nominative | swêet | — | | accusative | swêet | — | | genitive | swêets | — | | dative | swête | — |

From Middle English swete, from Old English swēte, from Proto-West Germanic *swōtī.

sweet

  1. sweet
    • 1867, “THE WEDDEEN O BALLYMORE”, in SONGS, ETC. IN THE DIALECT OF FORTH AND BARGY, number 2, page 94:
      Hea marreet dear Phielim to his sweet Jauane.
      He married dear Phelim to his sweet Joan.