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

   • 1961 November 10, Joseph Heller, “The Eternal City”, in Catch-22 […], New York, N.Y.: Simon and Schuster, →OCLC, page 433:

     Her name was Michaela, but the men called her filthy things in dulcet, ingratiating voices, and she giggled with childish joy because she understood no English and thought they were flattering her and making harmless jokes.

   • Matthew "MattKC" Wong (actor) (2024), 6s from the start, in I ported THOUSANDS of apps to Windows 95‎: “Ah, yes, the dulcet tones of Windows 95.”
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], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC:

     […] 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. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

French: (please verify) doux (fr) Ido: (please verify) dulca

See also

• dulcimer

Latin

Verb

dulcet

1. third-person singular present active subjunctive of dulcō