Sweetie is a diminutive of sweet (from Old English swēte, from Proto-Germanic *swōtuz, from Proto-Indo-European *swéh₂dus 'sweet') with the affectionate suffix -ie. Important recorded forms include swēte (Old English) and *swéh₂dus (Proto-Indo-European). Morphologically, the ending or combining element adapts the older base to the present English part of speech while keeping the historical sense visible. The modern sense continues the older lexical line without requiring a separate origin. In current use it covers a term of endearment, or informally a piece of candy. The wider family includes related words such as sweet, sweeten, and sweetness.