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

  1. To make sweet to the taste; To make pleasant or...

Ancestry of “sweeten”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishsweetHaving a pleasant taste, especially one relating...
2Middle Englishswetesweet, pleasant-tasting; sweet in smell;...
3Old Englishswētesweet
4Proto-West Germanicswōtīsweet
5Proto-Germanicswōtuzsweet
6Proto-Indo-Europeanswéh₂dussweet
7Proto-Indo-Europeansweh₂d-sweet

Words derived from “sweeten”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European sweh₂d- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European swéh₂dus →Every word from Proto-Germanic swōtuz →