bittersweet

bit·ter·sweet

 (bĭt′ər-swēt′)

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.

n.

1. Any of various woody vines of the genus Celastrus, especially C. scandens, native to North America, and C. orbiculata, an eastern Asian species that is widespread in North America, having small, round, yellow-orange fruits that open at maturity to expose red seeds. Also called staff tree, staff vine.

2. See bittersweet nightshade.

3. A dark to deep reddish orange.

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[N., sense 1, after its bark, which has a bitter, then an unpleasant sweetish taste when chewed.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

bittersweet

(ˈbɪtəˌswiːt)

n

1. (Plants) any of several North American woody climbing plants of the genus Celastrus, esp C. scandens, having orange capsules that open to expose scarlet-coated seeds: family Celastraceae

2. (Plants) another name for woody nightshade

adj

3. tasting of or being a mixture of bitterness and sweetness

4. pleasant but tinged with sadness

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

bit•ter•sweet

(adj. ˌbɪt ərˈswit, ˈbɪt ərˌswit; n. ˈbɪt ərˌswit)

adj.

1. both bitter and sweet to the taste: bittersweet chocolate.

2. both pleasant and painful or regretful: a bittersweet memory.

n.

3. 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. any climbing plant of the genus Celastrus, of the staff-tree family bearing orange capsules opening to expose red-coated seeds.

5. pleasure mingled with pain or regret.

[1350–1400]

bit`ter•sweet′ly, adv.

bit`ter•sweet′ness, n.

Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	bittersweet - poisonous perennial Old World vine having violet flowers and oval coral-red berries; widespread weed in North America bittersweet nightshade, climbing nightshade, poisonous nightshade, Solanum dulcamara, woody nightshade, deadly nightshade genus Solanum, Solanum - type genus of the Solanaceae: nightshade; potato; eggplant; bittersweet nightshade - any of numerous shrubs or herbs or vines of the genus Solanum; most are poisonous though many bear edible fruit
	2.	bittersweet - twining shrub of North America having yellow capsules enclosing scarlet seeds American bittersweet, Celastrus scandens, climbing bittersweet, false bittersweet, shrubby bittersweet, staff vine, waxwork Celastrus, genus Celastrus - genus of woody vines and erect shrubs (type genus of the Celastraceae) that is native chiefly to Asia and Australia: includes bittersweet vine - a plant with a weak stem that derives support from climbing, twining, or creeping along a surface
Adj.	1.	bittersweet - tinged with sadness; "a movie with a bittersweet ending" sad - experiencing or showing sorrow or unhappiness; "feeling sad because his dog had died"; "Better by far that you should forget and smile / Than that you should remember and be sad"- Christina Rossetti
	2.	bittersweet - having a taste that is a mixture of bitterness and sweetness semisweet tasty - pleasing to the sense of taste; "a tasty morsel"

Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

Translations

bittersüß

aigre-doux

agrodolce

bittersweet

[ˈbɪtəswiːt] ADJ (lit, fig) → agridulce

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

bittersweet

[ˌbɪtə^rˈswiːt] adj → aigre-doux(douce)

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

bittersweet

adj (lit, fig) → bittersüß

n (Bot) → Kletternder Baumwürger; (= nightshade) → Bittersüßer Nachtschatten

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

bittersweet

[ˈbɪtəˌswiːt] adj (taste) → agrodolce; (love affair) → dolceamaro/a

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995