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taste

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taste¹

  • /teɪst/

Rhymes with -eɪst

Where it comes from

The verb is from Middle English tasten, borrowed from Old French taster (“to taste, touch or hit”), from unattested Vulgar Latin *tastāre (“to touch or feel”), from *taxitāre, an innovated iterative form of Classical Latin taxāre (“to touch sharply”), from tangere (“to touch, to grasp”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *teh₂g-, which is assumed to have had the same meaning as tangere.

The noun came from the verb, and the two conflated after English lost its infinitive suffix -en, though tasten was most likely already used nominatively (as a gerund), similar to Modern English tasting.

Almost fully displaced native smack, from Middle English smac, smak, smacke, from Old English smæc, smæċċ (“taste, smatch”).

Displaced English smatch, from Middle English smacchen, smecchen, from Old English smæċċan (“to taste; to smack”); displaced also Middle English buriȝen, from Old English bierġan (“to taste”).

noun tastes · tast

  1. countable, uncountable One of the sensations produced by the tongue in response to certain chemicals; the quality of giving this sensation. He had a strange taste in his mouth.

    Similar: smack

  2. countable, uncountable The sense that consists in the perception and interpretation of this sensation. His taste was impaired by an illness.
  3. countable, uncountable A small sample of food, drink, or recreational drugs.
  4. countable, uncountable A person's implicit set of preferences, especially esthetic, though also culinary, sartorial, etc. Dr. Parker has good taste in wine.

    Similar: palate, discernment, culture, refinement, style

  5. countable, uncountable Personal preference; liking; predilection. I have developed a taste for fine wine.

    Similar: palate

  6. countable, figuratively, uncountable A small amount of experience with something that gives a sense of its quality as a whole. Such anecdotes give one a taste of life on a trauma ward.

    Similar: impression, sample, trial

  7. countable, uncountable A kind of narrow and thin silk ribbon.
  8. countable, dialectal, uncountable The least amount or portion of something; a jot. "So he opened the door very quitely, an' didn't make a taste o' n'ise in the wurld, an' luked all about, but the niver a bit o' the little man cud he see anywhare, but he h'ard his hammerin' and whis'lin', an' so he luked and luked, till at last he seen the little fellow[.]"

Similar: smatch

verb tastes · tasting · tasted · tast

  1. transitive To sample the flavor of something orally. when the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine

    Similar: smack

  2. copulative, intransitive To have a taste; to excite a particular sensation by which flavor is distinguished. The chicken tasted great, but the milk tasted like garlic.

    Similar: hint

  3. transitive To identify (a flavor) by sampling something orally. I can definitely taste the marzipan in this cake.
  4. figuratively, transitive To experience. I tasted in her arms the delights of paradise.
  5. To take sparingly. 1699, John Dryden, Epistle to John Drydenhttps://books.google.es/books?id=0fo_AAAAYAAJ&pg=PA147&dq=%22Age+but+tastes+of+pleasures,+youth+devours%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwihhoWhjrzqAhV9URUIHYdFCJw4ChDoATAAegQIBBAC#v=onepage&q=%22Age%20but%20tastes%20of%20pleasures%2C%20youth%20devours%22&f=false Age
  6. To try by eating a little; to eat a small quantity of. I tasted a little of this honey.
  7. obsolete To try by the touch; to handle. to taste the bow

Similar: smake, smack, gust, smatch, taste

taste²

adjective tast

  1. Internet, deliberate, misspelling, not comparable Deliberate misspelling of tasty

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: gustation, savour, savor, mouthful, penchant, smack, perceptiveness, try, predilection, preference, discernment, appreciation, try out, sample, gustatory modality, gustatory perception

noun

Similar: smatch

verb

Similar: smake, smack, gust, smatch, taste

Translations

Every language

noun one of the sensations produced by the tongue

Españolgusto
한국어미각 migak, 맛 mat
日本語味覚 mikaku, 味 aji
中文味道 wèidao, 味兒 /味儿 wèir, 氣味 /气味 qìwèi, 味覺 /味觉 wèijué
हिन्दीस्वाद svād, ज़ायक़ा zāyqā
Portuguêsgosto, sabor
Françaisgoût, saveur
DeutschGeschmack, Schmecken
Italianogusto, sapore
Ελληνικάγεύση géfsi
Românăgust
Русскийвкус vkus
Tiếng Việtvị
العربيةذَوْق ḏawq, طَعْم ṭaʕm, مَذَاق maḏāq
עבריתטַעַם tá'am

noun the sense that consists in the perception and interpretation of this sensation

Portuguêspaladar
Русскийвкус vkus
Tiếng Việtvị giác

noun a small sample of food, drink, or recreational drugs

Españolprobadura, cata

noun implicit set of preferences

Españolgusto, gustos
日本語趣味 shumi, 味 aji
中文品味 pǐnwèi
हिन्दीस्वाद svād
Portuguêsgosto, paladar
Françaisgoût
DeutschGeschmack
Italianogusto, inclinazione
Ελληνικάπροτίμηση protímisi, γούστο goústo
Русскийвкус vkus
Tiếng Việtsở thích, gu
العربيةذَوْق ḏawq

noun personal preference; liking; predilection

हिन्दीरुचि ruci, वरीयता varīytā
Italianogusto, preferenza
Русскийскло́нность sklónnostʹ

noun (figuratively) a small amount of experience

Españolmuestra
हिन्दीस्वाद svād
Portuguêsprova
Françaisavant-goût
Ελληνικάγεύση géfsi, πρόγευση prógefsi
Русскийвкус vkus, пе́рвое знако́мство pérvoje znakómstvo

verb to sample the flavor of something

Españolgustar, probar, catar, tastar (disused), degustar, paladear
日本語味わう ajiwau, 嘗める nameru
中文嘗味 /尝味 chángwèi, 嘗 /尝 cháng, 品嘗 /品尝 pǐncháng
हिन्दीचखना cakhnā
Portuguêssentir o gosto (de), provar, experimentar
Françaisgoûter
Deutschkosten, probieren
Italianogustare, assaggiare, assaporare, godere
Ελληνικάγεύομαι gévomai, δοκιμάζω dokimázo
Românăgusta
Русскийпро́бовать próbovatʹ, попро́бовать popróbovatʹ
Tiếng Việtnếm
العربيةذَاقَ ḏāqa, تَذَوَّقَ taḏawwaqa
עבריתטָעַם ta'ám

verb to have a taste

Españolsaber
日本語味がする aji ga suru
中文味道 wèidao
हिन्दीचखना cakhnā
Portuguêster gosto de, saber
Françaisavoir un goût, goûter
Deutschschmecken
Italianosapere
Românăa avea gust
Русскийиме́ть вку́с imétʹ vkús

verb to experience

Españolsaborear
Portuguêsexperimentar
Françaisgoûter de
Deutschkosten
Italianoprovare
Ελληνικάγεύομαι gévomai, δοκιμάζω dokimázo
Tiếng Việttrải nghiệm, nếm trải
العربيةذَاقَ ḏāqa, تَذَوَّقَ taḏawwaqa

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Cite this
MLA

"taste." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/taste. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

taste. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/taste

Chicago

"taste." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/taste.

BibTeX
@misc{taste_2026,
  title = {taste},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/taste},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}