bitter¹ /bitˈər/

1. Having a taste like that of quinine or hops
2. Sharp
3. Painful
4. Acrimonious
5. Broodingly resentful
6. Extremely and painfully cold

Any substance having a bitter taste, esp a type of beer

bittˈerish adjective

bittˈerly adverb

bittˈerness noun

bittˈers plural noun

A liquid prepared from bitter herbs or roots, and used to aid digestion or stimulate appetite, or to flavour drinks

bitter aloes see aloe

bittˈer-apple noun

A type of cucumber, the colocynth

bittˈer-cress noun

Cardamine

bittˈer-earth noun

Magnesia

bittˈer-king noun

An intensely bitter shrub of the quassia family, growing in the Malay Archipelago

bitter lemon noun

A lemon-flavoured soft drink

bitter orange noun

The Seville orange, bitter when ripe, used for making marmalade, etc

bittˈer-pit noun

A disease of apples, etc, characterized by brown spots and depressions

bittˈer-root noun

An American xerophytic plant (Lewisia rediviva)

bittˈer-spar noun

Dolomite

bittˈersweet noun

1. The woody nightshade (Solanum dulcamara), whose stems when chewed taste first bitter, then sweet
2. An apple that tastes both sweet and bitter (Shakespeare)
3. A mixture of sweet and bitter (also figurative; also adjective)

bitter vetch see vetch

bittˈerwood noun

Any of various trees, esp of the family Simarubaceae

a bitter pill to swallow

Something which is difficult or unpleasant to accept, such as an unwelcome fact

the bitter end see bitt

bitt /bit/ (nautical)

A post for fastening cables, etc (usu in pl)

To fasten (a cable, etc) round the bitts

bittˈer noun

1. The turn of cable round the bitts, hence perh the bitter end the end of the rope
2. The end of a task, however long-drawn-out or difficult
3. Final conclusive defeat or death

sweet /swēt/

1. Having one of the fundamental varieties of taste, that of sugar, honey, ripe fruits (distinguished from salt, acid or sour, bitter, dry)
2. Sugary
3. Pleasing to the taste, senses or feelings
4. Fragrant
5. Clear and tuneful
6. Smoothly running
7. Easy, free from harshness, benign
8. (of water) fresh, not salt
9. (of milk) fresh, not tainted
10. (of wine, ale, etc) not dry or bitter, retaining a sugary or fruity flavour
11. Wholesome
12. Gracious
13. Amiable
14. Mild, soft, gentle
15. Delightful, charming (informal)
16. All right, satisfactory (Aust informal)
17. Dear, beloved (archaic)
18. Ingratiating, often insipidly
19. Cloying or sickly in taste, smell, etc
20. More or less enamoured (with on or upon; informal)

Sweetly

1. That which is sweet
2. A sweet dish (pudding, fruit, etc) as a course
3. A sweetmeat, confection, esp a boiled sweet (see under boil¹)
4. (a form of address used to) a beloved person
5. (in pl) wines and cordials sweetened with syrup

To sweeten

sweetˈen transitive verb

1. To make sweet
2. To mitigate something unpleasant
3. To pacify, make (a person) agreeable (often with up)

sweetˈener noun

1. A substance that sweetens, esp one not containing sugar
2. A person who sweetens
3. A bribe (informal)

sweetˈening noun

sweetˈie or sweetˈy noun

1. A sweetmeat, item of confectionery
2. A sweetheart (informal)
3. (sweetie; often with cap) a large, seedless citrus fruit with greenish-yellow skin, its pulp sweeter than that of the grapefruit

sweetˈing noun

1. A sweet apple
2. A darling (archaic)

sweetˈish adjective

sweetˈishness noun

sweetˈly adverb

sweetˈness noun

sweety noun see sweetie above

sweet alyssum see under alyssum

sweetˈ-and-sourˈ adjective

1. Cooked with sugar and vinegar or lemon juice
2. (in Oriental cookery) having a seasoning of sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, etc

sweetˈ-and-twenˈty adjective

Both fair and young (after Shakespeare, who perhaps meant only sweet indeed; see also and twenty under twenty)

sweet bay noun

1. The laurel (Laurus nobilis)
2. A kind of magnolia (US)

sweetˈbread noun

The pancreas (stomach sweetbread), or sometimes the thymus (neck sweetbread), esp as a food

sweetˈbrier or sweetˈbriar noun

A wild rose with fragrant foliage (Rosa rubiginosa)

sweet chestnut see chestnut

sweet cicely noun

An aromatic umbelliferous plant (Myrrhis odorata)

sweetˈcorn noun

1. A sweet variety of maize
2. The yellow kernels of this, eaten as a vegetable

sweet Fanny Adams see under Fanny Adams

sweetfish see ayu

sweet flag noun

An aromatic araceous pond-plant (Acorus calamus)

sweet gale noun

Bog myrtle, a low-growing aromatic shrub found in bogs

sweet gas noun

Hydrocarbon gas without sulphur compounds

sweet gum noun

1. The N American liquidambar
2. Its aromatic resin

sweetˈheart noun

A lover or beloved

transitive verb and intransitive verb

To court

sweetheart agreement, contract, etc noun

An agreement between a trade union and an employer that excessively favours the employer, and is often concluded without the consent of higher-ranking trade union officials

sweetheart ivy see shield ivy under shield

sweetheart neckline noun

A low heart-shaped neckline on a woman's garment

sweetˈie-pie noun (informal)

A term of endearment

sweetˈie-wife noun (Scot)

1. A woman who sells sweets
2. (esp of an effeminate man) a gossip, scandalmonger

sweetˈlips or sweetˈlip singular noun

Any of several fish of the grunt family with large fleshy lips

sweetˈmeal adjective

(of biscuits) made of wholemeal and sweetened

sweetˈmeat noun

1. Any confection made wholly or chiefly of sugar
2. Any sweet food (obsolete)

sweet nothings see under nothing

sweetˈ-oil noun

1. Olive oil
2. Rape-oil
3. Any oil of mild pleasant taste

sweet pea noun

A S European papilionaceous garden plant (Lathyrus odoratus) with bright-coloured fragrant flowers

sweet pepper see under pepper

sweet potato noun

1. Batata, a tropical and subtropical twining plant (Ipomoea batatas) of the convolvulus family
2. Its large sweetish edible tuber

sweet-saˈvoured adjective

sweet-scentˈed adjective

Having a sweet smell

sweetˈsop noun

1. A tropical American evergreen (Annona squamosa)
2. Its pulpy fruit

sweet spot noun (sport)

The spot on a golf club, tennis or squash racket, etc where, for best effect and control, the ball should ideally make contact

sweetˈ-stuff noun

1. Confectionery
2. Sweetheart (informal, as a term of address)

sweet sultan see under sultan

sweet talk noun

Flattery, persuasion

sweetˈ-talk transitive verb (informal)

To coax, flatter, persuade

sweet-temˈpered adjective

Having a mild, amiable disposition

sweet-toothedˈ adjective

Fond of sweet things

sweetˈwater noun

A very sweet white grape

sweetˈ-water adjective

Freshwater

sweet william noun

A garden pink (Dianthus barbatus) with bearded petals

sweet willow noun

1. Any of various trees, eg bay-leaved sweet willow (Salix pentandra)
2. Sweet gale

sweetˈwood noun

A name for various S American and West Indian lauraceous trees

sweetˈ-wort noun

(in beer-making) sweet-flavoured wort, before the addition of hops

a sweet tooth

A fondness for sweet things

keep someone sweet

To ensure that someone remains well-disposed towards one

sweetness and light

An appearance of mildness, reasonableness, etc

• rottenstoning
• rotter
• rotters
• rotting
• Rottweiler
• Rottweilers
• rotula
• rotulae
• rotulas
• rotund
• rotunda
• rotundas
• rotundate
• rotunded
• rotunder
• rotundest
• rotunding
• rotundities
• rotundity
• rotundly
• rotunds
• roturier
• roturiers
• ROU
• rouble