# sweetheart

Pronunciation: US say "SWEET-hart" /ˈswitˌhɑɹt/; UK say "SWEET-haht" /ˈswiːtˌhɑːt/

## Noun

1. An affectionate way of addressing someone, especially a lover or a child.
   - Simple: A loving name you call someone, like a partner or a child.
   - _"Don't cry, sweetheart," she said, lifting the boy onto her lap._
   - _"I'll be home by six, sweetheart," he told his wife over the phone._
2. A person whom someone loves or is very fond of, especially when both partners are young.
   - Simple: A person someone loves, especially when they are both young.
   - _The two were college sweethearts who married the summer after graduation._
   - _He carried a photo of his sweetheart all through basic training._
3. A person of great and constant kindness.
   - Simple: A very kind person who is nice to others all the time.
   - _The nurse on the night shift was a total sweetheart to every patient on the ward._
   - _My landlord is a sweetheart who fixed our heater on Christmas Eve without a word of complaint._

## Origin

From Middle English swete hert, swete heorte, a phrase of endearment; equivalent to sweet + heart.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/sweetheart (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).