Where does “sweeten” come from?
Sweeten derives from Middle English -en added to Old English swēte, from Proto-Germanic swaitaz meaning "pleasant to taste," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European sweyd- meaning "to sweat" or "to be liquid."
sweeten (English): To make sweet to the taste; To make pleasant or...
Definitions
- To make sweet to the taste; To make pleasant or...
Ancestry of “sweeten”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | sweet | Having a pleasant taste, especially one relating... |
| 2 | Middle English | swete | sweet, pleasant-tasting; sweet in smell;... |
| 3 | Old English | swēte | sweet |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | swōtī | sweet |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | swōtuz | sweet |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | swéh₂dus | sweet |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | sweh₂d- | sweet |
Words derived from “sweeten”