In classical Greek, glykys described anything sweet to the taste or smell and extended figuratively to what is pleasant or dear. The New Testament uses it exclusively in its literal sense. James contrasts sweet and bitter water flowing from the same spring as a metaphor for inconsistent speech (Jas 3:11-12), while Revelation describes the little scroll that tastes sweet as honey in the mouth but turns bitter in the stomach (Rev 10:9-10). The Spanish 'dulce,' French 'doux,' and German 'suess' all capture this core sensory meaning.