Word of the Day

: December 24, 2011

dulcet

adjective DUL-sut

What It Means

1 : sweet to the taste

2 : pleasing to the ear

3 : generally pleasing or agreeable

dulcet in Context

At the concert, Kate leaned back in her seat, closed her eyes, and enjoyed the dulcet tones of the harp solo.

"The haddock was sweet and tender inside the coarse cornmeal crust, with dulcet chili aioli and creamy avocado." -- From a restaurant review by Cheryl Clark in The Times-Union (Albany, New York), November 20, 2011

Did You Know?

"Dulcet" has many linguistic ancestors, including the Latin "dulcis," Anglo-French "douz," and Middle English "doucet," all meaning "sweet." The dulcet "dulcis" has contributed many other sweet terms to English as well. Among these are the musical direction "dolce" ("to be played sweetly, softly"), "dulciana" (a pipe organ stop), "dolcian" (a small bassoon-like instrument used in the 16th and 17th centuries), and "dulcimer" (an American folk instrument). On a similar note, the word "dulcify" means "to make sweet," and the adjective "doux," derived from "douz," is used in wine circles to describe champagne that is sweet.