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.

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

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

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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.

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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.

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Related Words

• candy 
• chocolate 
• confection 
• dessert 
• snack