douce

[ doos ]

/ dus /

Save This Word!

adjective Scot. and North England.

sedate; modest; quiet.

QUIZ

WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?

Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!

Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

who

whom

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of douce

1275–1325; Middle English <Middle French (feminine) <Latin dulcis sweet; see dulcet

OTHER WORDS FROM douce

doucely, adverbdouceness, noun

Words nearby douce

doubt, doubtful, doubting Thomas, doubtless, douc, douce, douceperes, douceur, douche, douchebag, Doug

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use douce in a sentence

Mr. Douce thinks the custom of choosing valentines was a survival from the Roman feast of the Lupercalia.
Chaucer's Works, Volume 1 (of 7) -- Romaunt of the Rose; Minor Poems|Geoffrey Chaucer
"You must have spent a douce of a lot of money here," he said, after staring at the columns and gallery for some time.
The Forsyte Saga, Volume I.|John Galsworthy
Je contemplais le canton que je dominais, plong dans une douce rverie.
Baron d'Holbach|Max Pearson Cushing
He was so completely absorbed that he had only once stopped to call Douce and ask after Déruchette.
Toilers of the Sea|Victor Hugo

I used to say to Douce, dress me quickly, lest I should be late at the service; and I hastened to the church.
Toilers of the Sea|Victor Hugo

British Dictionary definitions for douce

douce

/ (duːs) /

adjective

Scot and Northern English dialect quiet; sober; sedate

Derived forms of douce

doucely, adverb

Word Origin for douce

C14: from Old French, feminine of dous, from Latin dulcis sweet

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012