bittersweet

¹bit·ter·sweet

noun \ˈbi-tər-ˌswēt\

Definition of BITTERSWEET

1

: something that is bittersweet; especially : pleasure alloyed with pain

2

a : a poisonous Eurasian woody vine (Solanum dulcamara) of the nightshade family that has purple flowers and oval reddish berries and is naturalized in North America

b : a North American poisonous woody vine (Celastrus scandens) of the staff-tree family having clusters of small greenish flowers succeeded by yellow capsules that open when ripe and disclose the scarlet aril

First Known Use of BITTERSWEET

14th century

Other Seed Plant Terms

aubergine, box, bramble, briar, composite, perpetual, pulse, trefoil

Rhymes with BITTERSWEET

aquavit, at one's feet, balance sheet, biathlete, booster seat, bucket seat, catbird seat, cellulite, cookie sheet, corps d'elite, countryseat, county seat, crystal pleat, decathlete, drag one's feet, driver's seat, easy street, exegete, incomplete, indiscreet, latent heat, letter sheet, lorikeet, make ends meet, marguerite, Masorete, meadowsweet, meet and greet, miss a beat, Nayarit, obsolete, off one's feet, on one's feet, on the street, overeat, overheat, Paraclete, parakeet, pentathlete, prickly heat, rumble seat, saddle seat, scandal sheet, self-conceit, semisweet, shredded wheat, sliding seat, spirochete, superheat, to one's feet, triathlete, trick or treat, two-way street, undertreat, up one's street, winding-sheet, window seat

²bittersweet

adjective

Definition of BITTERSWEET

1

: being at once bitter and sweet; especially : pleasant but including or marked by elements of suffering or regret <a bittersweet ballad>

2

: of or relating to a prepared chocolate containing little sugar

— bit·ter·sweet·ly adverb

— bit·ter·sweet·ness noun

First Known Use of BITTERSWEET

1576

Other Food Terms

Reuben, calamari, chuck, curry, edamame, foie gras, hummus, leaven, nonpareil, peel

bit·ter·sweet

noun \ˈbit-ər-ˌswēt, ˌbit-ər-ˈ\   (Medical Dictionary)

Medical Definition of BITTERSWEET

: a sprawling poisonous weedy nightshade (Solanum dulcamara) with purple flowers and oval reddish orange berries that is the source of dulcamara

bittersweet

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Any of several vines with colourful fruit. The genus Celastrus (family Celastraceae) includes American bittersweet, or staff vine (C. scandens), and Oriental bittersweet (C. orbiculatus), woody vines grown as ornamentals. Oriental bittersweet is a more vigorous climber than the American species. Both types climb by twining around supports. Another bittersweet, Solanum dulcamara, belongs to the nightshade family.