dulcet

English

WOTD – 26 July 2009

Etymology

Borrowing from Old French doucet, from dulz, dulce (“sweet, pleasant”) + diminutive -et, from Latin dulcis (“sweet, pleasant”).

Pronunciation

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

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Adjective

dulcet

1. Sweet, especially when describing voice or tones; melodious.
2. Generally pleasing; agreeable.
3. (archaic) Sweet to the taste.
   • 1667 — John Milton, Paradise Lost Book V

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

Synonyms

• (melodious): birdsweet
• (generally pleasing): agreeable, soothing
• (sweet to the taste): sugary, sweet

Translations

sweet (voice, tone), melodious

• Bulgarian: мелодичен (bg) (melodičen)
• Finnish: sointuva
• French: suave (fr)
• German: wohlklingend (de), melodisch (de), lieblich (de)

• Greek: τραγουδιστός (el) (tragoudistós)
• Spanish: dulce (es)
• Telugu: శ్రావ్యమైన (te) (śrāvyamaina)

generally pleasing, soothing, agreeable

• Bulgarian: приятен (bg) (prijaten)
• Finnish: miellyttävä (fi)

• German: angenehm (de), beruhigend (de), lind (de)
• Spanish: dulce (es)

sweet to the taste

• Bulgarian: сладък (bg) (sladǎk)
• Finnish: makea (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

• Ido: ^{(please verify)} dulca

See also

• dulcimer

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Latin

Verb

dulcet

1. third-person singular present active subjunctive of dulcō