Word
taste
US/ˈteɪst/
UK/tˈeɪst/
Definitions
01flavour
n. the flavour of a food or drink that you notice in your mouth.
n. the sensation produced by a substance in the mouth, typically perceived by the tongue.
“The soup has a very strong taste of garlic and herbs.”
“The chef adjusted the seasoning to ensure the delicate taste of the sea bass was not overwhelmed by the citrus reduction.”
02the sense
n. the ability to notice different flavours in your mouth.
n. the physiological faculty of perceiving the flavour of substances.
“A bad cold can make you lose your sense of taste for a few days.”
“The patient reported a diminished sense of taste following the course of medication, though doctors expected a full recovery within weeks.”
Synonyms
03a small amount
n. a small amount of food or drink that you try to see if you like it.
n. a small portion of food or drink taken as a sample.
“Would you like a taste of the sauce to see if it needs more salt?”
“She offered him a taste of the vintage wine before pouring a full glass for the rest of the guests.”
04personal preference
n. the things you like, such as your style in clothes, music, or art.
n. an individual's aesthetic preferences or the ability to discern what is high quality.
“We have very different tastes in music, but we both love the same films.”
“Her apartment was decorated with impeccable taste, blending modern minimalist furniture with bold, classical artwork.”
Synonyms
05brief experience
n. a short experience of something that helps you understand what it is like.
n. a brief or initial experience of something, providing a representative sample of the whole.
“The first week of the job gave her a taste of what the busy season would be like.”
“The introductory workshop provided the students with a taste of advanced calculus, encouraging several to pursue the subject further.”
06to sample flavour
v. to put a small amount of food or drink in your mouth to find out its flavour.
v. to perceive or test the flavour of something by taking it into the mouth.
“You should taste the milk to make sure it is still fresh.”
“The sommelier tasted the wine to ensure it had reached the appropriate temperature before serving it to the table.”
07to have a flavour
v. to have a particular flavour when someone eats or drinks it.
v. to produce a specific gustatory sensation; used as a copular verb.
“This cake tastes delicious and is very light.”
“The water tasted slightly of minerals, suggesting it had been sourced from a deep underground spring rather than the local reservoir.”
Usage
This is a stative verb and is not usually used in the continuous (-ing) form.
Etymology
From Middle English tasten, borrowed from Old French taster, from assumed Vulgar Latin tastāre, from assumed Vulgar Latin taxitāre, a new iterative of Latin taxāre (“to touch sharply”), from tangere (“to touch”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *teh₂g-. Almost displaced native Middle English smaken, smakien (“to taste”) (from Old English smacian (“to taste”)), Middle English smecchen (“to taste, smack”) (from Old English smæċċan (“to taste”)) (whence Modern English smack), Middle English buriȝen (“to taste”) (from Old English byrigan, birian (“to taste”)).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
Related words
Idioms
acquired taste — Something that is appreciated only after having initially been regarded as unappealing or unpleasant; a person who is regarded as difficult or dislikable but of whom at least some have grown to approve.
all one's taste is in one's mouth — One lacks good taste in aesthetic or cultural matters.
bad taste in one's mouth — A feeling that something is morally despicable as to cause nausea.
champagne taste on a beer budget — Expensive desires or preferences which one lacks the finances to fulfill satisfactorily.
leave a sour taste in one's mouth — To give one an unpleasant feeling or memory.
taste of one's own medicine — Harsh treatment inflicted on one who previously inflicted similar or equivalent treatment on others.
taste of one's own poison — Synonym of taste of one's own medicine.
The word in film
Poster: Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
A Taste of Honey · 1961 · Drama
- Directed by:
- Tony Richardson
- Starring:
- Rita Tushingham, Dora Bryan, Robert Stephens
Tony Richardson directs this seminal British kitchen-sink drama starring Rita Tushingham as a spirited Salford teenager striving for independence despite a turbulent upbringing. The title uses the noun metaphorically for a fleeting, modest sample of tenderness and happiness in an otherwise bleak working-class existence.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/taste