Definify.com

Webster 1913 Edition


Sweet

Sweet

,
Adj.
[
Com
par.
Sweeter
;
sup
erl.
Sweetest
.]
[OE.
swete
,
swote
,
sote
, AS.
swēte
; akin to OFries.
swēte
, OS.
swōti
, D.
zoet
, G.
süss
, OHG.
suozi
, Icel.
saetr
,
soetr
, Sw.
söt
, Dan.
söd
, Goth.
suts
, L.
suavis
, for
suadvis
, Gr. [GREEK], Skr.
svādu
sweet,
svad
,
svād
, to sweeten. √175. Cf.
Assuage
,
Suave
,
Suasion
.]
1.
Having an agreeable taste or flavor such as that of sugar; saccharine; – opposed to sour and bitter;
as, a
sweet
beverage;
sweet
fruits;
sweet
oranges.
2.
Pleasing to the smell; fragrant; redolent; balmy;
as, a
sweet
rose;
sweet
odor;
sweet
incense.
The breath of these flowers is
sweet
to me.
Longfellow.
3.
Pleasing to the ear; soft; melodious; harmonious;
as, the
sweet
notes of a flute or an organ;
sweet
music; a
sweet
voice; a
sweet
singer.
To make his English
sweet
upon his tongue.
Chaucer.
A voice
sweet
, tremulous, but powerful.
Hawthorne.
4.
Pleasing to the eye; beautiful; mild and attractive; fair;
as, a
sweet
face; a
sweet
color or complexion.
Sweet
interchange
Of hill and valley, rivers, woods, and plains.
Milton.
5.
Fresh; not salt or brackish;
as,
sweet
water
.
Bacon.
6.
Not changed from a sound or wholesome state. Specifically:
(a)
Not sour;
as,
sweet
milk or bread
.
(b)
Not state; not putrescent or putrid; not rancid;
as,
sweet
butter;
sweet
meat or fish
.
7.
Plaesing to the mind; mild; gentle; calm; amiable; winning; presuasive;
as,
sweet
manners
.
Canst thou bind the
sweet
influence of Pleiades?
Job xxxviii. 31.
Mildness and
sweet
reasonableness is the one established rule of Christian working.
M. Arnold.
Sweet is often used in the formation of self-explaining compounds; as, sweet-blossomed, sweet-featured, sweet-smelling, sweet-tempered, sweet-toned, etc.
Sweet alyssum
.
(Bot.)
See
Alyssum
.
Sweet apple
.
(Bot.)
(a)
Any apple of sweet flavor.
(b)
See
Sweet-sop
.
Sweet bay
.
(Bot.)
(a)
The laurel (
Laurus nobilis
).
(b)
Swamp sassafras.
Sweet calabash
(Bot.)
,
a plant of the genus
Passiflora
(
Passiflora maliformis
) growing in the West Indies, and producing a roundish, edible fruit, the size of an apple.
Sweet cicely
.
(Bot.)
(a)
Either of the North American plants of the umbelliferous genus
Osmorrhiza
having aromatic roots and seeds, and white flowers.
Gray.
(b)
A plant of the genus
Myrrhis
(
Myrrhis odorata
) growing in England.
Sweet calamus
, or
Sweet cane
.
(Bot.)
Same as
Sweet flag
, below.
Sweet Cistus
(Bot.)
,
an evergreen shrub (
Cistus Ladanum
) from which the gum ladanum is obtained.
Sweet clover
.
(Bot.)
See
Melilot
.
Sweet coltsfoot
(Bot.)
,
a kind of butterbur (
Petasites sagittata
) found in Western North America.
Sweet corn
(Bot.)
,
a variety of the maize of a sweet taste. See the Note under
Corn
.
Sweet fern
(Bot.)
,
a small North American shrub (
Comptonia asplenifolia
syn.
Myrica asplenifolia
) having sweet-scented or aromatic leaves resembling fern leaves.
Sweet flag
(Bot.)
,
an endogenous plant (
Acorus Calamus
) having long flaglike leaves and a rootstock of a pungent aromatic taste. It is found in wet places in Europe and America. See
Calamus
, 2.
Sweet gale
(Bot.)
,
a shrub (
Myrica Gale
) having bitter fragrant leaves; – also called
sweet willow
, and
Dutch myrtle
. See 5th
Gale
.
Sweet grass
(Bot.)
,
holy, or Seneca, grass.
Sweet gum
(Bot.)
,
an American tree (
Liquidambar styraciflua
). See
Liquidambar
.
Sweet herbs
,
fragrant herbs cultivated for culinary purposes.
Sweet John
(Bot.)
,
a variety of the sweet William.
Sweet leaf
(Bot.)
,
horse sugar. See under
Horse
.
Sweet marjoram
.
(Bot.)
See
Marjoram
.
Sweet marten
(Zool.)
,
the pine marten.
Sweet maudlin
(Bot.)
,
a composite plant (
Achillea Ageratum
) allied to milfoil.
Sweet oil
,
olive oil.
Sweet pea
.
(Bot.)
See under
Pea
.
Sweet potato
.
(Bot.)
See under
Potato
.
Sweet rush
(Bot.)
,
sweet flag.
Sweet spirits of niter
(Med. Chem.)
See
Spirit of nitrous ether
, under
Spirit
.
Sweet sultan
(Bot.)
,
an annual composite plant (
Centaurea moschata
), also, the yellow-flowered (
Centaurea odorata
); – called also
sultan flower
.
Sweet tooth
,
an especial fondness for sweet things or for sweetmeats.
[Colloq.]
Sweet William
.
(a)
(Bot.)
A species of pink (
Dianthus barbatus
) of many varieties.
(b)
(Zool.)
The willow warbler.
(c)
(Zool.)
The European goldfinch; – called also
sweet Billy
.
[Prov. Eng.]
Sweet willow
(Bot.)
,
sweet gale.
Sweet wine
.
See
Dry wine
, under
Dry
.
To be sweet on
,
to have a particular fondness for, or special interest in, as a young man for a young woman.
[Colloq.]
Thackeray.
Syn. – Sugary; saccharine; dulcet; luscious.

Sweet

,
Noun.
1.
That which is sweet to the taste; – used chiefly in the plural.
Specifically:
(a)
Confectionery, sweetmeats, preserves, etc.
(b)
Home-made wines, cordials, metheglin, etc.
2.
That which is sweet or pleasant in odor; a perfume.
“A wilderness of sweets.”
Milton.
3.
That which is pleasing or grateful to the mind;
as, the
sweets
of domestic life
.
A little bitter mingled in our cup leaves no relish of the
sweet
.
Locke.
4.
One who is dear to another; a darling; – a term of endearment.
“Wherefore frowns my sweet?”
B. Jonson.

Sweet

,
adv.
Sweetly.
Shak.

Sweet

,
Verb.
T.
To sweeten.
[Obs.]
Udall.

Webster 1828 Edition


Sweet

SWEET

,
Adj.
[L. suavis.]
1.
Agreeable or grateful to the taste; as, sugar or honey is sweet.
2.
Pleasing to the smell; fragrant; as a sweet rose; sweet odor; sweet incense. Ex.26.
3.
Pleasing to the ear; soft; melodious; harmonious; as the sweet notes of a flute or an organ; sweet music; a sweet voice.
4.
Pleasing to the eye; beautiful; as a sweet face; a sweet color or complexion; a sweet form.
5.
Fresh; not salt; as sweet water.
6.
Not sour; as sweet fruits; sweet oranges.
7.
Mild; soft; gentle.
Canst thou bind the sweet influences of Pleiades?
Job 38.
8.
Mild; soft; kind; obliging; as sweet manners.
9.
Grateful; pleasing.
Sweet interchange of hill and valley.
10. Making soft or excellent music; as a sweet singer.
11. Not stale; as sweet butter. The bread is sweet.
12. Not turned; not sour; as sweet milk.
13. Not putrescent or putrid; as, the meat is sweet.

SWEET

,
Noun.
Something pleasing or grateful to the mind; as the sweets of domestic life.
A little bitter mingled in our cup, leaves no relish of the sweet.
1.
A sweet substance; particularly, any vegetable juice which is added to wines to improve them.
2.
A perfume.
3.
A word of endearment.
4.
Cane juice, melasses,or other sweet vegetable substance.

Definition 2024


Sweet

Sweet

See also: sweet

English

Proper noun

Sweet

  1. A surname.

Derived terms

sweet

sweet

See also: Sweet

English

Adjective

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. Containing a sweetening ingredient.
  4. (wine) Retaining a portion of sugar.
    Sweet wines are better dessert wines.
  5. 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.
  6. Having a pleasant smell.
    a sweet scent
    • Longfellow
      The breath of these flowers is sweet to me.
  7. Not decaying, fermented, rancid, sour, spoiled, or stale.
    sweet milk
  8. Having a pleasant sound.
    a sweet tune
    • Nathaniel Hawthorne
      a voice sweet, tremulous, but powerful
  9. Having a pleasing disposition.
    a sweet child
  10. Having a helpful disposition.
    It was sweet of him to help out.
  11. (mineralogy) Free from excessive unwanted substances like acid or sulphur.
    sweet soil
    sweet crude oil
  12. (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:
      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.
  13. (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.
  14. (obsolete) Fresh; not salt or brackish.
    sweet water
    (Can we find and add a quotation of Francis Bacon to this entry?)
  15. 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.

Synonyms

Antonyms

Derived terms

Translations

Usage notes

  • Also used as a positive response to good news or information: They're making a sequel? Ah, sweet!

Adverb

sweet (comparative more sweet, superlative most sweet)

  1. In a sweet manner.
    (Can we find and add a quotation of Shakespeare to this entry?)

Synonyms

Translations

Noun

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.
    • Ben Jonson
      Wherefore frowns my sweet?
  5. (obsolete) That which is sweet or pleasant in odour; a perfume.
    • Milton
      a wilderness of sweets
  6. (obsolete) That which is pleasing or welcome to the mind.
    the sweets of domestic life

Synonyms

Derived terms

Translations

Statistics

Most common English words before 1923: wrote · chief · company · #605: sweet · duty · heavy · single

Anagrams