# suave
## English
### Etymology

From Middle English suave, borrowed from Latin suāvis (“sweet, pleasant”); doublet of sweet.

### Pronunciation

* (UK) IPA: /swɑːv/
* (US) IPA: /swɑv/, /sweɪv/
* Audio (Southern England):(file)
* 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
### Noun

suave (plural suaves)
* sweet-talk (Can we add an example for this sense?)

#### 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

Inherited 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: /sɥav/
* Audio:(file)

### Adjective

suave (plural suaves)
* (especially of persons and their speech) smooth and graceful, polite, polished, suave

#### Descendants

* → Romanian: suav

### References

* Walther von Wartburg (1928–2002) “suavis”, in Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, volumes 12: Sk–š, page 325
* “suave”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

## Italian
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /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 Latin) IPA: /ˈsu̯aː.u̯e/, [ˈs̠u̯äːu̯ɛ]
* (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA: /ˈswa.ve/, [ˈswäːve]
* (Classical Latin) IPA: /suˈaː.u̯e/, [s̠uˈäːu̯ɛ]
* (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA: /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

### Etymology 2
#### 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: /suˈa.vi/ [sʊˈa.vi], (faster pronunciation) /ˈswa.vi/
* (Brazil) IPA: /suˈa.vi/ [sʊˈa.vi], (faster pronunciation) /ˈswa.vi/
** (Southern Brazil) IPA: /suˈa.ve/ [sʊˈa.ve], (faster pronunciation) /ˈswa.ve/
* (Portugal) IPA: /ˈswa.vɨ/
* (Portugal) IPA: /ˈswa.vɨ/
** (Northern Portugal) IPA: /ˈswa.bɨ/ [ˈswa.βɨ]
* Rhymes: -avi, -avɨ
* Hyphenation: su‧a‧ve

### Adjective

suave m or f (plural suaves)
* soft, smooth
    Synonyms: macio, liso
* gentle, mild
* (Brazil, colloquial) fine, okay

#### Derived terms

* suavizar

#### Related terms

* suavidade
* suavizante

### Further reading

* “suave” in Dicionário Aberto based on Novo Diccionário da Língua Portuguesa de Cândido de Figueiredo, 1913
* “suave”, in Michaelis Dicionário Brasileiro da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), São Paulo: Editora Melhoramentos, 2015–2025
* “suave”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2025

## Spanish
### Etymology

Borrowed from Latin suāvis (“sweet, pleasant”).

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈswabe/ [ˈswa.β̞e]
* Audio:(file)
* Rhymes: -abe
* Syllabification: sua‧ve

### Adjective

suave m or f (masculine and feminine 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

* al suave
* manjar suave
* suave como el culito de un bebé
* suavecito
* suavemente
* suavísimo
* suavizante
* suavizar

#### Related terms

* suavidad
* suavo

### Further reading

* “suave”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10
* “suave”, in Diccionario de americanismos [Dictionary of Americanisms] (in Spanish), Association of Academies of the Spanish Language [Spanish: Asociación de Academias de la Lengua Española], 2010
* “suave”, in Diccionario del español de México, Segunda edición, Academia Mexicana de la Lengua, 2019