taste
/teɪst/
verb
Origin
Latin
taxare — to touch, handle, evaluate, or tax
Overview
Meaning Now
- To perceive or experience the flavor of something by taking it into the mouth.
- To have a specific flavor.
- To experience or undergo something briefly or partially.
Literal older meaning
to touch, handle, or feel
Language path
Proto-Indo-European → Latin → Old French → Middle English → English
Earliest form
tasten
Earliest period
13th century
Journey
The word evolved from a general sense of touching or testing (as in 'taxing' or 'handling') into the specialized biological sense of gustatory perception during the Middle Ages. Its Romance cognates, such as the Italian 'tastare', retain the original sense of 'to feel or touch' more strongly.
Evolution
- Proto-Indo-European
*tag-
“to touch or handle”
- Latin
taxare
“to touch, feel, or appraise”
- Vulgar Latin
*tastare
“to touch or feel; to taste”
Shifted from tactile sensing to gustatory sensing
- Old French
taster
“to feel, touch, or sample”
- Middle English
tasten
“to touch, feel, or taste”
- Modern English
taste
“to perceive flavor”
Connections
Word parts
taste
root
to perceive flavor or touch
Related across languages
Italian
tastare
to touch, feel, or probe
French
tâter
to feel or grope
Related words
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Related to taste
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.