'sweet-fragrant' is a modern English compound formed from the adjective 'sweet' and the adjective 'fragrant'. 'Sweet' originates from Old English 'swete' meaning 'pleasant to the taste or smell'; 'fragrant' originates from Latin 'fragrans' (present participle of 'fragrāre') meaning 'to emit a pleasant smell.'

The element 'fragrant' came into English via Old French 'fragrant' from Latin 'fragrans' and entered Middle English as 'fragrant'; 'sweet' comes from Old English 'swete' and continued through Middle English 'swete' to modern English 'sweet'. The compound form arose in modern English as a descriptive pairing of these two words.

Individually, 'sweet' originally meant 'pleasant (to taste or smell)' and 'fragrant' meant 'giving off a pleasant smell'; combined as 'sweet-fragrant' the meaning remained close to these originals, specifically emphasizing a sweet-scented quality.