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Glite Dictionary
sweet violet

sweet violet

5.8
A small plant with purple or white flowers that smell sweet
  • noun
  • /swit ˈvaɪəlɪt/
translation icon : violeta
  • The sweet violet is known for its charming purple flowers and lovely fragrance.

Examples

  • Who'll buy my sweet violets?

    Fiction book (1991)

  • In spring, the garden was filled with blooming sweet violets that attracted many bees.

  • My grandmother always loved to decorate her home with sweet violets during the spring.

Synonyms

Viola odorata
vssweet violet
  • Specialized
9.5

A small violet with purple or white sweet smelling flowers often grown in gardens

is the familiar common name rather than a scientific label
English violet
vssweet violet
4.4

A small garden flower with purple or white petals and a sweet smell

is the more general common name not tied to one region
garden violet
vssweet violet
3.5

A small plant with purple or white flowers that grows in gardens

emphasizes the species identity and its fragrant flowers rather than garden growth

Surface Forms

sweet violet singular
sweet violets plural

Morphology

sweet + violet

The meaning 'a violet with a pleasant fragrance' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'sweet' (here meaning fragrant or pleasantly scented) with 'violet' (the plant), so a learner who knows both words can infer it is a fragrant violet. This is a regular adjective + noun composition (not idiomatic) and has clear cross-linguistic parallels, making it immediately comprehensible to a B1 learner.

Etymology

Sweet violet is named for its small purple violet flowers and their strong, pleasant scent; the word sweet points to the nice smell and violet to the flower. So the name simply tells you it is a small, fragrant violet today.