suavis

Latin

Etymology

From Proto-Italic *swādwis, from Proto-Indo-European *sweh₂dwih₂-, from *swéh₂dus. The associated verb suādeō retained the original d. Cognate to Ancient Greek ἡδύς (hēdús), English sweet, Sanskrit स्वादु (svādu), Albanian shije.

Pronunciation
  • (Classical) IPA(key): /ˈsu̯aː.u̯is/, [ˈs̠u̯äːu̯ɪs̠]
  • (Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): /ˈswa.vis/, [ˈswäːvis]
  • (Classical) IPA(key): /suˈaː.u̯is/, [s̠uˈäːu̯ɪs̠]
  • (Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): /suˈa.vis/, [suˈäːvis]
  • Note: the first u is found scanned as a consonant glide in Plautus, Terence and classical poetry, but sparely also as a vowel in some Late Latin poetry of the 5th and 6th centuries, with Romance descendants typically reflecting the latter. However, compare the early attestation of sŭādent in Lucretius.

Adjective

suāvis (neuter suāve, comparative suāvior, superlative suāvissimus, adverb suāve or suāviter); third-declension two-termination adjective

  1. sweet, pleasant, delicious

Declension

Third-declension two-termination adjective.

Number Singular Plural
Case / Gender Masc./Fem. Neuter Masc./Fem. Neuter
Nominative suāvis suāve suāvēs suāvia
Genitive suāvis suāvium
Dative suāvī suāvibus
Accusative suāvem suāve suāvēs
suāvīs		 suāvia
Ablative suāvī suāvibus
Vocative suāvis suāve suāvēs suāvia

Derived terms

Descendants
  • Catalan: suau
  • Italian: soave, suave
  • Old French: soef
    • Middle French: souef
      • Norman: souef
  • → Middle English: suave
  • → Middle French: suave
  • → Portuguese: suave
  • → Spanish: suave

References
  • “suavis”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  • “suavis”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
  • suavis in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette
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