adjectivethird-declension two-termination adjective
dulcis
dulcis (neuter dulce, comparative dulcior, superlative dulcissimus, adverb dulce or dulciter)
Classical[ˈdʊɫ.kɪs]Ecclesiastical[ˈdul̠ʲ.t͡ʃis]
№ 383 of the 1,000 commonest wordsMille Verba core vocabulary
Meaning
- two terminationsweet
omnia ad salutem temperat conmutatque sese semper cum calore arida simul et umida et dulcis et amara et acris
It has all the virtues necessary for health, and constantly changes its nature along with the heat, being moist and dry, sweet, bitter, and acid.234 BCE – 149 BCE, Marcus Porcius Cato, De agri cultura 157.1 - two terminationsweet-smelling, sweet-scented, fragrant
cāna prius gelidō dēsint absinthia Pontō et careat dulcī Trīnacris Hybla thymō
8 CE – 12 CE, Ovidius, Tristia 5.13.22 - two terminationsweet-sounding, melodic, melodious, tuneful
dicit plorare etiam Demosthenes istum quem saepe dicat voce dulci et clara fuisse
Demosthenes, however, says most upon this head, and often speaks of his accuser as having a sweet-sounding and clear pronunciation.46 BCE, Cicero, Brutus 57 - figurativelytwo terminationagreeable, delightful, pleasant, soft, sweet
Dulce et decōrum est prō patriā morī.
Sweet and fitting it is to die for one's fatherland.23 BCE – 13 BCE, Horatius, Carmina 3.2.13tum pinguēs agnī et tum mollissima vīna
Then lambs are fat, and wines are mellowest then; then sleep is sweet, and dark the shadows fall upon the mountains.c. 37 BCE – 30 BCE, Vergilius, Georgicon 1.342 - figurativelytwo termination(of persons) friendly, charming, kind, dear, pleasant, agreeable
tē, dulcis coniūnx, tē sōlō in lītore secum […]
You, his dear wife, on the lone shore alone, […]c. 37 BCE – 30 BCE, Vergilius, Georgicon 4.465
Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers
quod ōrī grātum est: mel dulce est.dulcis -e — in Mille Verba, Cibus et Convīvium
suāvis, iūcundusdulcis -e — in Evangelium secundum Matthaeum, ch. 9
Choosing the right word Döderlein's Latin Synonyms
Suavis · Dulcis
Suavis (ἠΰς) denotes, like ἡδύς, a pleasant odor, and, figuratively that which gives a calm pleasure; dulcis, like γλυκύς, a pleasant flavor, and, figuratively, that which gives a lively pleasure; hence dulcis is a stronger expression than suavis, in Plin. Ep. v. 8, 10. Hæc vel maxima vi, amaritudine, instantia; illa tractu et suavitate, atque etiam dulcedine placet. Plin. H. N. xv. 27. Dulce, et pingue, et suave. (iii. 256.)
Declension
| form | masculine | feminine | neuter |
|---|---|---|---|
| nominative | dulcis dulciculus | dulcis dulcicula | dulce dulciculum |
| genitive | dulcis dulciculī | dulcis dulciculae | dulcis dulciculī |
| dative | dulcī dulciculō | dulcī dulciculae | dulcī dulciculō |
| accusative | dulcem dulciculum | dulcem dulciculam | dulce dulciculum |
| ablative | dulcī dulciculō | dulcī dulciculā | dulcī dulciculō |
| vocative | dulcis dulcicule | dulcis dulcicula | dulce dulciculum |
| form | masculine | feminine | neuter |
|---|---|---|---|
| nominative | dulcēs dulciculī | dulcēs dulciculae | dulcia dulcicula |
| genitive | dulcium dulciculōrum | dulcium dulciculārum | dulcium dulciculōrum |
| dative | dulcibus dulciculīs | dulcibus dulciculīs | dulcibus dulciculīs |
| accusative | dulcīs dulcēs, dulciculōs | dulcīs dulcēs, dulciculās | dulcia dulcicula |
| ablative | dulcibus dulciculīs | dulcibus dulciculīs | dulcibus dulciculīs |
| vocative | dulcēs dulciculī | dulcēs dulciculae | dulcia dulcicula |
dulcis, e, adj. from gulcis, by dissimilation; cf. ten-ebrae from root tam-; root in Sanscr. gul-jam, sweetness; Gr. γλυκύς, γλυκερός, sweet,
I. sweet (very freq.; cf.: suavis, venustus, jucundus, gratus, acceptus, amoenus, etc.).
I. Lit., opp. amarus:
(animal) sentit et dulcia et amara, Cic. N. D. 3, 13; cf. Plaut. Cist. 1, 1, 72: mel, id. Asin. 3, 3, 24; id. Truc. 2, 4, 20; cf.: liquor mellis, Lucr. 1, 938; 4, 13: aqua, id. 6, 890: poma, id. 5, 1377; Hor. S. 2, 5, 12: vinum, id. C. 3, 12, 1; cf. merum, id. ib. 3, 13, 2: dolium, id. Epod. 2, 47: olivum, id. S. 2, 4, 64: sapor, id. C. 3, 1, 19 et saep.—Comp.: uva, Ov. M. 13, 795.—Sup.: panis, Plin. 18, 10, 20, § 92 et saep.—Hence, B. Subst. and heterocl., dulcia, ōrum, n., sweet cakes, honey-cakes, sugar-cakes (late Lat.), Vop. Tac. 6; Lampr. Heliog. 26; 31; Prud. Psych. 429.—
II. Trop., agreeable, delightful, pleasant, charming, soft, flattering.
A. In gen.:
dulcia atque amara apud te sum elocutus omnia, Plaut. Ps. 2, 4, 2; cf. id. ib. 1, 1, 61; id. Truc. 1, 2, 78: vita, Lucr. 2, 997; cf.: lumina vitae, id. 5, 989: solacia, vitae, id. 5, 21: orator, Cic. Off. 1, 1, 3; cf. of orators or writers, Quint. 10, 1, 77; 73; 12, 10, 44; cf. also: non quo ea (oratione) Laelii quicquam sit dulcius, Cic. Brut. 21, 83: genus dicendi, Quint. 2, 8, 4: carmen, id. 12, 10, 33: poëmata, Hor. A. P. 99 et saep.: nomen libertatis, Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 63; cf. id. Att. 15, 13, 3: auditu nomen, Liv. 24, 21, 3: amores, Hor. C. 1, 9, 15: otium, id. Epod. 1, 8: fortuna, id. C. 1, 37, 11: dulce et decorum est pro patria mori, Hor. C. 3, 2, 13.—With dat.: mensae dulcis herili canis, Val. Fl. 7, 130.—Prov.: dulce etiam fugias, fieri quod amarum potest, Pub. Syr. 144 Rib. —Sup.: epistola, Cic. Att. 15, 13, 4: quod in amicissimo quoque dulcissimum est, id. Lael. 23 fin. al.—B. In partic. of friends, lovers, etc., friendly, pleasant, agreeable, charming, kind, dear:
amici (opp. acerbi inimici), Cic. Lael. 24 fin.; cf.: amicitia remissior esse debet et liberior et dulcior, id. ib. 18 fin.: liberi, Hor. Epod. 2, 40; cf. nata, id. S. 2, 3, 199: alumnus, id. C. 3, 23, 7; id. Ep. 1, 4, 8.—Hence, in addressing a person: optime et dulcissime frater, Cic. Leg. 3, 11; cf.: dulcissime Attice, id. Att. 6, 2, 9: mi dulcissime Tiro, Cic. Fil. Fam. 16, 21, 2: dulcis amice, Hor. Ep. 1, 7, 12: dulce decus meum, id. C. 1, 1, 2.—Absol.: quid agis, dulcissime rerum? Hor. S. 1, 9, 4.— Hence, adv. (acc. to II.), agreeably, delightfully. c. Sup.:
dulcissime scripta, Cic. Brut. 19, 77.Charlton Lewis's shorter dictionary for students: the same scholarship in plain, modern definitions.
dulcis e, adj. with comp. and sup.
GVOR-, sweet : (animal) sentit et dulcia et amara: vinum, H.: dulcior uva, O.—As subst n. : Dulce dedit, a sweet drink (i. e. mulsum), O.—Fig., agreeable, delightful, pleasant, charming, dear, soft, flattering : orator: nomen libertatis: poëmata, H.: auditu nomen, L.: amores, H.: Dulce est pro patriā mori, H.: cui patriae salus dulcior quam conspectus fuit: dulcissima epistula.—As subst n. : Dulce satis umor, a delight , V. — Of persons, friendly, pleasant, agreeable, charming, kind, dear : amici: amicitia dulcior: liberi, H.: dulcissime Attice: dulce decus meum, H.: quid agis, dulcissime rerum? H.
Origins
Most likely akin to Ancient Greek γλυκύς (glukús, “sweet”), both traditionally derived from a tentative Proto-Indo-European *dl̥kús (“sweet”), although the fall of -u- in the Latin form would be left unexplained, and the Greek form is problematic as well. Given that Latin and Greek are linguistically quite distant while being very close geographically, it is likely the word does not go back to PIE as it may have been borrowed from a common unknown source, possibly related to lac (“milk”). Compare typologically Persian شیرین (šīrēn, “sweet”) from شیر (šīr, “milk”) and Proto-Turkic *sǖčig (“sweet”) from *sǖt (“milk”).
Insular Romance
- Sardiniandulche
- Sardiniandurche
Gallo-Romance
- Catalandolç
- Occitandoçfrom Old Occitan dous
- Franco-Provençaldox
- Old Frenchdous
Ibero-Romance
- Portuguesedocefrom Old Galician-Portuguese doce
- Spanishdulcefrom Old Spanish duz
- Aragoneseduze
- Aragonesedulce
- Mozarabicdólče
- Mozarabicدَلجِ
- Faladocifrom Old Galician-Portuguese doce
- Galiciandocefrom Old Galician-Portuguese doce
- Asturiandolce
- Asturiandulce
Balkano-Romance
- Romaniandulce
- Aromaniandultsi
- Istro-Romanianduľțe
- Megleno-Romaniandulți
Italo-Dalmatian
- Italiandolce
- Galluresedulcifrom Corsican dolce
- Sassaresedozzifrom Corsican dolce
- Dalmatiandolc
- Istriotdùlso
- Neapolitandoce
- Sicilianduci
- Sicilianaruci
- Venetandólso
- Venetandolse
Borrowings
- Englishdulce
Rhaeto-Romance
- Friuliandolç
- Ladindouc
- Ladinduc
- Romanshdultsch
Gallo-Italic
- Emiliandåulz
- Liguriandôçe
- Lombarddolzfrom Old Lombard dolce
- Piedmontesedoss
- Romagnoldôlz
Elsewhere
- Vulgar Latin*indulcīre
In English words that came into English from dulcis
- dulcetdulcis
- doucedulcis
- dulcifydulcificō
- dulcitoldulcis
- dulcitudedulcitūdō
- dulcianadulcis
- douceurdulcor
- acidulcisacidus
- dulcifieddulcis
- edulcorationēdulcoratiō
- dulciloquydulcis
- dulcedulce
- dulcindulcis
- dulcitonedulcis
- dulcineadulce
- dulcitydulcitās
- dulcaciddulcacidus
- dulcifluousdulcis