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US /swit/ UK /swiːt/
Freq #637

Meanings

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3

Thesaurus

Synonyms
1 adj · having the taste of sugar. sugary
2 adj · kind, gentle, and pleasant. gratifying
More nectarealnectareannectarinenectaroussappysweetsome
Word family
Forms sweetersweetestsweetishsweets
Derived forms bittersweeteye-sweetflower-sweethoney-sweetmeadowsweetsemi-sweetsemisweetsickly-sweetsour-sweetsticky-sweetsugar-sweetsweet-after-death
Related forms sweetness

Appears in

Simplified etymology

Sweet is an Old English word originally describing taste. Its noun senses for a dessert or confection appeared only in the mid-19th century, while the approving sense “fine” or “good” arose in Australian English in the 1890s.

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *sweh₂d- Proto-Indo-European *-us Proto-Indo-European *swéh₂dus Proto-Germanic *swōtuz Proto-Germanic *-jaz Proto-West Germanic *-ī Proto-West Germanic *swōtī Old English swēte Middle English swete English sweet From Middle English swete, from Old English swēte (“sweet”), from Proto-West Germanic *swōtī, from Proto-Germanic *swōtuz (“sweet”), from Proto-Indo-European *swéh₂dus (“sweet”). Cognate and synonymous with Scots sweit (“sweet”), North Frisian sweete (“sweet”), Saterland Frisian swäit (“sweet”), West Frisian swiet (“sweet”), Dutch zoet (“sweet”), Germ…

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