Main Entry:

¹bit·ter·sweet

Pronunciation:

\ˈbi-tər-ˌswēt\

Function:

noun

Date:

14th century

1: something that is bittersweet ; especially : pleasure alloyed with pain2 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