suave
English
Etymology
From Middle English suave, borrowed from Latin suāvis (“sweet, pleasant”); doublet of sweet.
Pronunciation
Audio (UK) (file) - (UK) IPA(key): /swɑːv/
- (US) IPA(key): /swɑv/, /sweɪv/
- Rhymes: -ɑːv, -eɪv
Adjective
suave (comparative suaver, superlative suavest)
- Charming, confident and elegant.
- a man with a suave demeanor
Derived terms
- outsuave
- suavely
- suaveness
Translations
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Noun
suave (plural suaves)
- Sweet talk.
Translations
References
- Paternoster, Lewis M. and Frager-Stone, Ruth. Three Dimensions of Vocabulary Growth. Second Edition. Amsco School Publications: USA. 1998.
Anagrams
- Sauve, Vause, uveas
French
Etymology
From Middle French suave, borrowed from Latin suāvis (“sweet, pleasant”), replacing the inherited form souef (in use until the 17th century), from Old French soef, suef (“sweet, mild, agreeable, tranquil, peaceful”), descendants of which live on in other Oïl languages.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /sɥav/
Audio (file)
Adjective
suave (plural suaves)
- (especially of persons and their speech) smooth and graceful, polite, polished, suave
References
- Walther von Wartburg (1928–2002), “suavis”, in Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch (in German), volume 12: Sk–š, page 325
- “suave”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
Italian
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /suˈa.ve/
- Rhymes: -ave
- Hyphenation: su‧à‧ve
Adjective
suave (plural suavi)
- (literary, archaic) Alternative form of soave
- 1567, Ricettario fiorentino [Florentine Cookbook], page 5:
- L'acqua buona debbe essere limpida, pura, e netta da ogni altra cosa; mancare di tutte le qualità come odore, sapore, e colore; essere suave al gusto.
- Good water should be transparent, pure, and clear of any other things; [it should] lack qualities such as smell, taste, and color; [it should] be delicate when tasted.
-
Derived terms
- suavità
Further reading
- suave in Dizionario Italiano Olivetti, Olivetti Media Communication
Latin
Etymology 1
Adverbial use of the neuter singular adjective.
Pronunciation
- (Classical) IPA(key): /ˈsu̯aː.u̯e/, [ˈs̠u̯äːu̯ɛ]
- (Classical) IPA(key): /suˈaː.u̯e/, [s̠uˈäːu̯ɛ]
- (Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): /suˈa.ve/, [suˈäːve]
- Note: the v is found scanned as either a vowel or a consonant, with Romance descendants typically reflecting the former.
Adverb
suāve (not comparable)
- sweetly, becomingly, pleasantly
- Synonym: suāviter
Adjective
suāve
- nominative/accusative/vocative neuter singular of suāvis
References
- “suave”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- “suave”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
Portuguese
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin suāvis (“sweet, pleasant”).
Pronunciation
- (Brazil) IPA(key): /suˈa.vi/ [sʊˈa.vi], (faster pronunciation) /ˈswa.vi/
- (Southern Brazil) IPA(key): /suˈa.ve/ [sʊˈa.ve], (faster pronunciation) /ˈswa.ve/
- (Portugal) IPA(key): /ˈswa.v(ɨ)/
- Rhymes: -avi, -avɨ
- Hyphenation: su‧a‧ve
Adjective
suave m or f (plural suaves)
- soft, smooth
- Synonyms: macio, liso
- gentle, mild
- (Brazil, slang) fine, okay
Derived terms
- suavizar
Related terms
- suavidade
- suavizante
Spanish
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin suāvis (“sweet, pleasant”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈswabe/ [ˈswa.β̞e]
Audio (file) - Rhymes: -abe
- Syllabification: sua‧ve
Adjective
suave (plural suaves)
- smooth, soft, fluffy
- Antonym: áspero
- piel suave ― soft (or smooth) skin
- textura suave ― soft (or smooth) texture
- soft, gentle, light, mild (e.g. mild flavor, a mild winter)
- aterrizaje suave ― soft landing
- viento suave ― gentle wind
- un toque suave ― a gentle (or soft or light) touch
- suave (charming, confident and elegant)
- Synonyms: terso, blando, liso
- Antonyms: áspero, duro
- cool, acceptable, easy
Derived terms
- manjar suave
- suavemente
- suavísimo
- suave como el culito de un bebé
- suavecito
- suavizante
- suavizar
Related terms
- suavidad
- suavo
Further reading
- “suave”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014