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-top. -- Sweet bay. (Bot.) (a) The laurel
(laurus nobilis). (b) Swamp sassafras. -- Sweet calabash (Bot.), a
plant of the genus Passiflora (P. 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 (M. 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, or
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 (Zoöl.), 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 (C. 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) (Zoöl.) The
willow warbler. (c) (Zoöl.) 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 (?), n. 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, v. t. To sweeten. [Obs.] Udall.
Sweet"bread` (?), n. 1. Either the thymus gland or the pancreas, the
former being called neck, or throat, sweetbread, the latter belly
sweetbread. The sweetbreads of ruminants, esp. of the calf, are highly
esteemed as food. See Pancreas, and Thymus.