Made something sweet by adding sugar or another sweetening substance.
From Old English 'swete' (sweet) plus the suffix '-en' (to make or become). The root possibly connects to Proto-Indo-European words related to 'swelling' since sweetness was once associated with ripe, swollen fruits.
For most of human history, people had almost no easy access to sweetened foods—honey was rare and expensive—so our brains evolved to love sweetness as a signal of calorie-rich food. This ancient preference is why modern sugary products are so hard to resist!
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