dulcet

English

WOTD – 26 July 2009

Etymology

From Middle English doucet, from Old French doucet, from dulz, dulce (“sweet, pleasant”) + diminutive -et, from Latin dulcis (“sweet, pleasant”). Cognate with Spanish dulce, French doux, Italian dolce, Portuguese doce, and Romanian dulce. Doublet of dolcetto and doucet.

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /ˈdʌl.sɪt/, /ˈdʌl.sət/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Adjective

dulcet

1. Sweet, especially when describing voice or tones; melodious.

   Synonyms: birdsweet, mellifluous

2. Generally pleasing; agreeable.

   Synonyms: agreeable, soothing

3. (archaic) Sweet to the taste.

   Synonyms: sugary, sweet

   • 1667, John Milton, “Book V”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], […], OCLC 228722708; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, OCLC 230729554:

     […] for drink the Grape / She crushes, inoffensive must, and meads / From many a berry, and from sweet kernels prest / She tempers dulcet creams […]

Related terms

• billet-doux
• dolce far niente
• dolce vita
• dulciana
• dulcify
• dulcimer
• dulcinea
• edulcorate

 

Translations

sweet (voice, tone), melodious

• Bulgarian: мелодичен (bg) (melodičen)
• Finnish: sointuva, suloinen (fi)
• French: suave (fr)
• German: wohlklingend (de), melodisch (de), lieblich (de)
• Greek: τραγουδιστός (el) (tragoudistós)

• Russian: мелодичный (ru) (melodičnyj), приятный (ru) (prijatnyj)
• Spanish: dulce (es)
• Swedish: ljuv (sv), smäktande (sv)
• Telugu: శ్రావ్యమైన (te) (śrāvyamaina)

generally pleasing, soothing, agreeable

• Bulgarian: приятен (bg) (prijaten)
• Finnish: miellyttävä (fi), suloinen (fi)
• German: angenehm (de), beruhigend (de), lind (de)

• Spanish: dulce (es)
• Swedish: ljuv (sv)

sweet to the taste

• Bulgarian: сладък (bg) (sladǎk)
• Finnish: makea (fi), suloinen (fi)

• German: lieblich (de), süß (de), angenehm (de)
• Spanish: dulce (es)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• French: ^{(please verify)} doux (fr)

• Ido: ^{(please verify)} dulca

See also

• dulcimer

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Latin

Verb

dulcet

1. third-person singular present active subjunctive of dulcō