gezoet

Gezoet is a Dutch adjective and past participle meaning “sweetened” or “made sweet.” It is formed from the verb zoeten, which means to make something sweet, typically by adding sugar or sweeteners. In everyday language gezoet describes foods or drinks that have had sweetness added, and it can function as an attributive or predicative modifier.

In practice, gezoet is used to indicate added sweetness in various contexts. Common examples include gezoete koffie (sweetened coffee), gezoete melk (sweetened milk), and gezoete yoghurt (sweetened yogurt). In product labeling and menus, gezoet signals that the item contains added sugars or sweeteners, as opposed to ongezoet, which means unsweetened. Some labels differentiate between gezoet met suiker (sweetened with sugar) and gezoet met zoetstoffen (sweetened with artificial or non-sugar sweeteners), but gezoet alone generally implies added sweetness.

In nutrition and dietary contexts, the term appears on packaging and consumer information to distinguish products with added sweetness from those without. The precise interpretation can vary by country and regulatory framework; in the European Union, labeling requirements often demand more specific information about the source of sweetness (sugar versus non-sugar sweeteners) rather than relying solely on the term gezoet.

Etymology and grammar: gezoet consists of the prefix ge- plus the past participle -t of zoeten. It agrees with the noun it describes (gezoete melk, gezoete koffie). The term is commonly paired with ongezoet to contrast sweetness levels.