sweetmeat

[ sweet-meet ]

noun

1. Archaic. a sweet delicacy, as a candy or candied fruit, or, originally, a cake or pastry.

sweetmeat

/ ˈswiːtˌmiːt /

noun

1. a sweetened delicacy, such as a preserve, sweet, or, formerly, a cake or pastry

Word History and Origins

Origin of sweetmeat¹

First recorded before 1150; Old English swētmete, swōmete “delicacy” (not recorded in Middle English ); sweet, meat

Example Sentences

Pilgrims purchase coconuts, sweetmeats, flowers, and incense for their ritualistic offerings.

From Seattle Times

Gifting new clothes and sweetmeats is a key part of the celebrations.

From Reuters

Media footage showed a man feeding the convicts sweetmeat outside the jail after touching the feet of one of them, a mark of respect.

From Reuters

While my parents devoted their time and energy to the service, I daydreamed about the forthcoming sweetmeat, a symphony of tabla and harmonium scoring my reverie.

From Salon

So Meg wrestled alone with the refractory sweetmeats all that hot summer day, and at five o’clock sat down in her topsy-turvey kitchen, wrung her bedaubed hands, lifted up her voice and wept.

From Literature

Related Words

• candy
• chocolate
• confection
• dessert
• snack