Sweet1, a.
a. [compar. SWEETER; superl. SWEETEST.] [O. Eng. swote, sote, sute, A-S. swēte, O. Fries. swet, O. Sax. swôti, swôti, Goth. sutis, for svotis, Icel. sötr, Sw. söt, Dan. söd, L. Ger. söt, söte, D. zoet, O. H. Ger. suozi, N. H. Ger. süsze, allied to Lat. suāvis, for suadvis, Gr. ἡδύς, Skr. svādu, from svad, svād, to be of a sweet taste, to taste.]
Sense 1. Having a certain agreeable taste or flavor, like or resembling that of honey or sugar; saccharine;—opposed to sour and bitter; as, a sweet beverage; sweet fruits; sweet oranges.
Sense 2. Pleasing to the smell; fragrant; as, a sweet rose; sweet odor; sweet incense.
Sense 3. Pleasing to the ear; making excellent music; soft; melodious; harmonious; as, the sweet notes of a flute or an organ; sweet music; a sweet voice; a sweet singer.
Sense 4. Pleasing to the eye; beautiful; as, a sweet face; a sweet color or complexion; a sweet form. “Sweet interchange of hill and valley.” Milton.
Sense 5. Fresh; not salt; as, sweet water. Bacon.
Sense 6. Not changed from a sound or wholesome state; as, (a.) Not stale; as, sweet butter. (b.) Not sour; as, sweet milk or bread. (c.) Not putrescent or putrid; as, sweet meat.
Sense 7. Mild; soft; gentle.
Canst thou bind the sweet influences of Pleiades? Job xxxviii. 31.
Sense 9. Mild; soft; kind; obliging; as, sweet manners.
Sweet is often used in the formation of self-explaining compounds; as, sweet-blossomed, sweet-featured, sweet-mouthed, sweet-smelling, sweet-tempered, sweet-toned, and the like.
Sweet herbs, fragrant herbs cultivated for culinary purposes. — Sweet tooth, an especial fondness for sweet things or for sweetmeats. [Colloq.] — To be sweet upon, to treat with such marked interest or attention as to indicate an incipient affection. Thackeray.
Synonyms—Sugary; saccharine; dulcet; luscious.