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bittersweet

 - 4 dictionary results

bit⋅ter⋅sweet

  [adj. bit-er-sweet, bit-er-sweet; n. bit-er-sweet]
Use bittersweet in a Sentence
–adjective
1. both bitter and sweet to the taste: bittersweet chocolate.
2. both pleasant and painful or regretful: a bittersweet memory.
–noun
3. Also called woody nightshade. a climbing or trailing plant, Solanum dulcamara, of the nightshade family, having small, violet, star-shaped flowers with a protruding yellow center and scarlet berries.
4. Also called climbing bittersweet. any climbing plant of the genus Celastrus, bearing orange capsules opening to expose red-coated seeds, esp. C. scandens.
5. pleasure mingled with pain or regret: the bittersweet of parting.
Origin:
1350–1400; ME; see bitter, sweet

Related forms:
bit⋅ter⋅sweet⋅ly, adverb
bit⋅ter⋅sweet⋅ness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To bittersweet
bit·ter·sweet   (bĭt'ər-swēt')   
n.  

  1. A woody vine of the genus Celastrus, especially the North American species C. scandens and the eastern Asian species C. orbiculata, having small, round, yellow-orange fruits that open at maturity to expose red seeds. Also called staff tree.

  2. See bittersweet nightshade.

  3. A dark to deep reddish orange.

adj.  

  1. Bitter and sweet at the same time: bittersweet chocolate.

  2. Producing or expressing a mixture of pain and pleasure: a movie with a bittersweet ending.

  3. Dark to deep reddish-orange.


[After its roots, which are said to taste bitter, then sweet when chewed.]
bittersweet nightshade  
n.  A poisonous climbing or trailing plant (Solanum dulcamara) native to Eurasia and a widespread weed in North America, having violet flowers with recurved corolla lobes and red berries. Also called bittersweet, deadly nightshade.

[After its roots, which are said to taste bitter, then sweet when chewed.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: bit·ter·sweet
Pronunciation: 'bit-&r-"swEt, "bit-&r-'
Function: noun
: a sprawling poisonous weedy nightshade (Solanumdulcamara) with purple flowers and oval reddish orange berries that is the source of dulcamara
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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