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sweet (swēt)
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adj. sweet·er, sweet·est
1. Having the taste of sugar or a substance containing or resembling sugar, as honey or saccharin.
2.
a. Containing or derived from sugar.
b. Retaining some natural sugar; not dry: a sweet wine.
3.
a. Pleasing to the senses; agreeable: the sweet song of the lark; a sweet face.
b. Pleasing to the mind or feelings; gratifying: sweet revenge.
4. Having a pleasing disposition; lovable: a sweet child.
5. Kind; gracious: It was sweet of him to help out.
6. Fragrant; perfumed: a sweet scent.
7. Not saline or salted: sweet water; sweet butter.
8. Not spoiled, sour, or decaying; fresh: sweet milk.
9. Free of acid or acidity: sweet soil.
10. Low in sulfur content: sweet fuel oil.
11. Music Of, relating to, or being a form of jazz characterized by adherence to a melodic line and to a time signature.
12. Slang
a. Remarkable; outstanding.
b. Used as an intensive: took his own sweet time to finish; earns a sweet million per year.
adv.
In a sweet manner; sweetly.
n.
1. Sweet taste or quality; sweetness.
2. Something sweet to the taste.
3. sweets
a. Foods, such as candy, pastries, puddings, or preserves, that are high in sugar content.
b. Informal Sweet potatoes: candied sweets.
4. Chiefly British
a. A sweet dish, such as pudding, served as dessert.
b. A sweetmeat or confection.
5. A dear or beloved person.
6. Something pleasing to the mind or feelings.
Idiom:
sweet on Informal
Enamored of; in love with.
[Middle English swete, from Old English swēte; see swād- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]
sweetly adv.
sweetness n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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