Slang terms dominate the way that new generations speak within the different areas they live in, and often these slang terms flourish throughout surrounding areas.  Sometimes it is even possible to see history repeating itself by a slang term being used a certain way, years and years ago, and now it has been put back into use.  The question is whether or not we put these terms into our dictionaries.

      Often we choose words to meet our definitions, which produces definitions of words as simple as the word �sweet,� that have been slightly changed to become our generation�s new slang term.  To some people, the word �sweet� is nothing more than a word that describes the taste of something--such as an apple.  To me, the word is a slang term that I use amongst my friends to describe how �cool� something is.  This definition of the word �sweet� should be admitted into Standard American English.
 Throughout a normal day, one can walk the halls of high schools and colleges and hear the word sweet being used.  Rather than always using the word �cool�--another slang term of the younger generations--we use �sweet.�  These two words can be used in place of each other and is often done so.

      �Hey, I got a new car.  Check it out!� exclaims my friend.
      �Sweet!� I say; seeing the beauty of the brand-new car.

      If something is sweet to me, that �thing� is something that is cool/awesome, eye-catching, proficient, beautiful, pleasing to me and something that is just all around great.  Dictionaries seem to think other wise.  To use sweet as an adjective it is used when something is pleasing to the taste, pleasing to the mind or feelings, much loved, fresh, or to describe something skillful or proficient (�Sweet�  Merriam-Webster�s).

      Through time the meaning has been altered slightly to fit the meaning of what we, as our society want to say.  As George Orwell said, �Let the meaning choose the word and not the other way about� (446).  I believe that in the way that I use the word, sweet, that I have let the meaning choose the word.  If the meanings of sweet are something that is proficient, beautiful, pleasing to the mind, etc. then I have chosen the correct word to describe all of the things that appear to be this way to me.  Most of the time when we let the meaning choose a word, meanings modify into a slightly different ones.

      Sweet and beauty have gone hand in hand for many years.  According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the two meanings used together can be dated back to 1590 when accusations were made that an island was considered to its being as sweet.  This can be seen in the definition of something being lovely and of charming appearance (�Sweet�  OED).  This is not the first time that the word sweet was ever used.  The word sweet dates back to before the 12th century.  The etymology of the word can be derived from Middle English swete, from Old English swEte; a kin to Old High German suozi sweet.  Of course the first uses of the word sweet, were to fit the meaning of pleasing to the taste/retaining a portion of natural sugar.   Later, the word was used to express things that were pleasing to the mind, for example:  how sweet it is.  This �it� would be something that our minds find agreeable and gratifying.  Then, a few years later sweet was used to describe things that were pleasing to the eye and ear, such things as music and flowers.  The meaning was changed slightly for the next few centuries.  The word was also used as saying how much something was loved and soon after the word was used to say that something was wholesome or fresh (�Sweet�  Merriam-Webster�s).  It is easy to see how this word has evolved through many definitions.  I believe that this newer definition, something that is �cool,� has derived from the definition of something being pleasing to the mind.

       Today, we use sweet to fit all of its various meanings.  To my generation, to use the word sweet is something that is basically pleasing to the mind (cool), whether or not it tastes good, or it is beautiful or if it smells good (�Sweet�  Merriam-Webster�s).  Could it be possible that someone in our preceding centuries used the word sweet in the same tense as we do?  This is very questionable because of the similar definitions.  If definitions have been added and altered to the word sweet over the course of many years, then �our� definition should be added as well.  Maybe in earlier centuries people would say yes that is pleasing to my mind, but today the younger generations have condensed the meaning to just something that is all around �cool.�