adjectivethird-declension two-termination adjective
suāvis
suāvis (neuter suāve, comparative suāvior, superlative suāvissimus, adverb suāve or suāviter)
Classical[ˈsʷaː.wɪs]Ecclesiastical[ˈsʷaː.vis]
Meaning
- two terminationsweet, pleasant, delicious
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.)
Osculum · Suavium · Basium
Osculum is a friendly; suavium, a tender; basium, an ardent kiss. (vi. 251.)
Declension
| form | masculine | feminine | neuter |
|---|---|---|---|
| nominative | suāvis | suāvis | suāve |
| genitive | suāvis | suāvis | suāvis |
| dative | suāvī | suāvī | suāvī |
| accusative | suāvem | suāvem | suāve |
| ablative | suāvī | suāvī | suāvī |
| vocative | suāvis | suāvis | suāve |
| form | masculine | feminine | neuter |
|---|---|---|---|
| nominative | suāvēs | suāvēs | suāvia |
| genitive | suāvium | suāvium | suāvium |
| dative | suāvibus | suāvibus | suāvibus |
| accusative | suāvīs suāvēs | suāvīs suāvēs | suāvia |
| ablative | suāvibus | suāvibus | suāvibus |
| vocative | suāvēs | suāvēs | suāvia |
Phrases from Meissner's Latin Phrase-Book
- aliquid sensus suaviter afficit
- a thing makes a pleasant impression on the senses.
suāvis, e (sŭāves, trisyl., Sedul. 1, 274), adj. Gr. root ἁδ-, ἁνδάνω, to please; ἡδύς, sweet; Sanscr. svad-, taste; cf. suadeo,
I. sweet, pleasant, agreeable, grateful, delightful (freq. and class.; cf.: dulcis, jucundus).
I. As affecting the senses:
quod suave est aliis, aliis fit amarum, Lucr. 4, 658: odor suavis et jucundus, Cic. Verr. 2, 3, 9, § 23: elixus esse quam assus soleo suavior, Plaut. Most. 5, 1, 66: vidimus et merulas poni et sine clune palumbes, Suaves res, si, etc., Hor. S. 2, 8, 92: suaviores aquae, Plin. 20, 11, 44, § 114: radix suavissimi gustūs et odoris, id. 25, 9, 64, § 110: spiritus unguenti, Lucr. 3, 223: tibi suavis daedala tellus Summittit flores, id. 1, 7: anima, Phaedr, 3, 1, 5: suavior et lenior color, Plin. 9, 41, 65, § 140: sonus Egeriai, Enn. ap. Varr. L. L. 7, § 42 Müll.: cantus, Plaut. Cas. 4, 3, 2: cantatio, id. Stich. 5, 5, 19: sermo, id. As. 5, 1, 8: accentus, Quint. 12, 10, 33: appellatio litterarum, id. 11, 3, 35: vox, Gell. 19, 9, 10: sopor, Lucr. 4, 453.—Poet., suave, adv., sweetly, agreeably, pleasantly: suave locus voci resonat conclusus, Hor. S. 1, 4, 76: suave rubens hyacinthus, Verg. E. 3, 63: rubenti Murice, id. ib. 4, 43.—II. As affecting the mind or feelings (cf.: gratus, jucundus): doctus, fidelis, Suavis homo, facundus, Enn. ap. Gell. 12, 4 (Ann. v. 250 Vahl.); so,
homo, Ter. Phorm. 2, 3, 64: mea suavis, amabilis, amoena Stephanium, Plaut. Stich. 5, 4, 54: comes, benigni, faciles, suaves homines esse dicuntur, qui erranti comiter monstrant viam, benigne, non gravate, Cic. Balb. 16, 36; cf.: suavis, sicut fuit, videri maluit quam gravis, id. Brut. 9, 38: amor suavissimus, Plaut. Cist. 1, 3, 45: amicitia, Lucr. 1, 141: inter nos conjunctio, Cic. Fam. 13, 26, 1: suavis suaviatio, Plaut. Bacch. 1, 2, 12; id. Ps. 1, 1, 63: hunc diem suavem Meum natalem agitemus amoenum, id. Pers. 5, 1, 16: modus, id. Cist. 1, 1, 17.—Suave est with subj.-clause: ut rei servire suave est! Plaut. Truc. 2, 3, 21: tibi porro ut non sit suave vivere, Ter. Heaut. 3, 1, 73: suave, mari magno ... E terrā magnum alterius spectare laborem, Lucr. 2, 1: non quin mihi suavissimum sit ... tuae memoriae dare operam, Cael. ap. Cic. Fam. 8, 1, 1.—Hence, adv.: suāvĭ-ter, sweetly, agreeably, pleasantly, delightfully (class.). 1. To the senses:
video quam suaviter voluptas sensibus nostris blandiatur, Cic. Ac. 2, 45, 139: nec tam bene quam suaviter loquendo, id. de Or. 3, 11, 43; cf. dicere, id. Brut. 29, 110.—Sup.: suavissime legere, Plin. Ep. 3, 15, 3: peucedanum odore suaviter gravi, Plin. 25, 9, 70, § 118.—2. To the mind, etc.:
secunda jucunde ac suaviter meminerimus, Cic. Fin. 1, 17, 57: epistula copiose et suaviter scripta, id. Fam. 15, 21, 4; cf. sup.: litterae suavissime scriptae, id. ib. 13, 18, 1: quid agis, dulcissime rerum? Suaviter, ut nunc est, inquam, Hor. S. 1, 9, 5; Petr. 71, 10; 75, 8: sicut tu amicissime et suavissime optas, Cic. Fam. 3, 12. Charlton Lewis's shorter dictionary for students: the same scholarship in plain, modern definitions.
suāvis e, adj. with comp. and sup.
SVAD-.— To the senses, sweet, agreeable, grateful : odor: res, H.: anima, Ph.—Fig., to the mind, pleasant, agreeable, grateful, attractive, gratifying : homo, T.: homines: sermo Suavior, H.: vita suavissima: eius suavissimi mores: Tibi ut non sit suave vivere, T.: litterae tuae.
Origins
From Proto-Italic *swāwis, from Proto-Italic *suādwus, from Proto-Indo-European *swéh₂dus (“sweet”). The extension of the u-stem into an i-stem is regular (compare brevis, tenuis) and must have occurred before the loss of *-d- in medial *-dw-.
Borrowings
- Englishsuavefrom Middle English suave
- Frenchsuavefrom Middle French suave
- Portuguesesuave
- Spanishsuave
Southern Gallo-Romance
- Catalansuau
- Occitansuau
Italo-Romance
- Italiansoave
Northern Gallo-Romance
- Middle Frenchsoueffrom Old French soef
- Normansoueffrom Old French soef
Ibero-Romance
- Aragonesesuau