sweetness

noun

Etymology: From Middle English swetnes, swetnesse, from Old English swētnes (“sweetness”), from Proto-West Germanic *swōtinassī (“sweetness”), equivalent to sweet + -ness. Cognate with West Frisian swietens (“sweetness”), obsolete Dutch zoetenis (“sweetness”), Old High German swuoznessi, suoznessi (“sweetness”).

1. The condition of being sweet (all senses).

   “At the same time, that pain is soothed by the brain’s perception of sweetness on a totally different area of your taste buds.”

2. A pleasant disposition; kindness.

   “Ruth's overwhelming sweetness made Robert forget about his hopelessly low school grades.”

3. The quality of giving pleasure to the mind or senses, pleasantness, agreeableness.

   “The thirſt of raigne and ſweetnes of a crowne, […] / Moou’d me to menage armes againſt thy ſtate.”

   “Quiet people too, for I think that about this time a sort of remorseful tenderness comes over the bullies and the nagsters, so that they go about gently and deprecatingly, hoping by one day's record sweetness to outface the year's blusterings.”

4. A term of address for one's sweetheart.

   “Sweetness, sweetness, I was only joking when I said / I'd like to smash every tooth in your head.”

   “"Hey sweetness," he said. "How was practice?"”