tasten.1
/teɪst/, U.S. /teɪst/ I. Senses relating to touch or trial.† 1. The sense of touch, feeling (with the hands, etc.); the act of touching, touch. Obsolete.† 2. † b. A trial, an attempt. Obsolete. rare.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > touch and feeling > [noun]
gropingc1000
toucha1398
feela1400
tastea1400
tastinga1400
touching?c1400
tact1651
the world > physical sensation > touch and feeling > touching > [noun]
riningOE
touchingc1300
taking1340
toucha1387
tastea1400
atouchment1483
tuckingc1485
tacture1598
taction1623
contaction1628
tactation1688
tig1721
tact1801
skinship1966
1292 Britton iii. ii. §13 Et puis soynt chargez qe eles..enquergent de la femme qe se fet enceynte par tast de soen ventre et de ses mameles.]
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 542 Þis vnder wynd him gis his aand, þe erth þe tast, to fele, and faand.
c1430 Pilgr. Lyf Manhode (1869) i. lxxii. 42 At the taast, and at the sighte, at the smellinge, and at the sauouringe, bred and wyn it may seeme.
a1500 ( J. Yonge tr. Secreta Secret. (Rawl.) (1898) 208 The taste is a commyn witte, Spraden throgh the body, but hit Shewyth hym most by the handys..; by that witte we knowen hote, colde, dry, moyste, and other Suche thynges.
a. A trying, testing; a trial, test, examination.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > testing > [noun]
fandingc1000
taste1377
experimenta1382
experience1393
probationc1422
trial1526
test1594
verification1603
1377 W. Langland Piers Plowman B. xii. 131 Kynde witte cometh of alkynnes siȝtes,..of tastes of treuthe, and of deceytes.
1586–7 Queen Elizabeth I in W. B. Scoones Four Cent. Eng. Lett. (1880) 30 To make tast of the greatest witz amongs my owne, and then of French and last of you.
1608 W. Shakespeare King Lear ii. 44 I hope for my brothers iustification, he wrot this but as an essay, or tast [1623 taste] of my vertue. View more context for this quotation
1663 J. Heath Flagellum (1672) 155 To appoint a Tast or Recognition of the Government.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > endeavour > [noun] > an attempt
tastec1330
assayc1386
proffera1400
proof?a1400
pluck?1499
saymenta1500
minta1522
attemptate1531
attempt1548
attemption1565
say1568
trice1579
offer1581
fling1590
tempt1597
essay1598
trial1614
tentative1632
molition1643
conamen1661
put1661
tentamen1673
conatus1722
shot1756
go1784
ettle1790
shy1824
hack1830
try1832
pop1839
slap1840
venture1842
stagger1865
flutter1874
whack1884
whirl1884
smack1889
swipe1892
buck1913
lash1941
wham1957
play1961
c1330 R. Mannyng Chron. Wace (Rolls) 5400 He wende haue taken þe toun in hast, Bot he failled of his tast.
II. Senses relating to tasting or flavouring.† 3.
a. The act of tasting, or perceiving the flavour of a thing with the organ of taste (sense 4); the fact of being tasted. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > taste and flavour > [noun] > act of tasting
taste1340
tasting1390
touchinga1400
savouringc1405
gusting?1533
gustation1599
smacking1648
degustation1651
elibation1656
1340–70 Alex. & Dind. 357 Þere-of we taken a tast what time þat vs nedeþ.
1393 W. Langland Piers Plowman C. i. 228 Tauerners ‘a tast for nouht’ tolden þe same.
a1400 Coer de L. 3075 When he has a good tast, And eeten weel a good repast.
1578 J. Lyly Euphues f. 76 For before ye tast of the gospell I was worse then a beast.
1599 W. Shakespeare Romeo & Juliet ii. v. 13 The sweetest honey Is loathsome in his owne deliciousnesse, And in the taste confoundes the appetite. View more context for this quotation
1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost i. 2 The Fruit Of that Forbidden Tree, whose mortal tast Brought Death into the World, and all our woe. View more context for this quotation
1766 J. Entick Surv. London in New Hist. London IV. 367 They obtained a grant of..the taste and assize of bread.
b. transferred. The means of tasting; hence, such a small quantity as admits of being tasted; a very small quantity (esp. of alcoholic drink), a sip; spec. (U.S. slang), an alcoholic drink; alcohol.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > taste and flavour > [noun] > a taste
smatchc1456
tasting1526
taste1530
sip1728
pree1823
the world > food and drink > food > amounts of food > [noun] > small quantity
breadeOE
crumbc975
snedec1000
snodec1150
morselc1300
swallow1340
modicumc1400
mouthful?c1450
tasting1526
taste1530
buckone1625
morceau1778
rive1793
nibble?1828
munchet1845
moufful1896
niblet1896
snade1901
nugget1951
nibbly1978
the world > relative properties > quantity > smallness of quantity, amount, or degree > [noun] > a small quantity or amount > of something as admits of being tasted
tasting1526
taste1530
the world > food and drink > drink > intoxicating liquor > [noun] > a drink of
strong drink?1490
drink1535
whiff1605
tip1612
wet1719
swilla1731
booze1732
slug1756
whitter1786
intoxication1799
O (or oh) be joyful1823
sneezer1823
north-wester1830
drain1836
damp1837
smile1839
snifter1844
liquor1860
rosiner1871
tiddlywink1880
bevvy1889
gargle1889
snort1889
jolt1904
smahan1914
tincture1914
taste1919
piss1925
drinkie1947
smash1959
shant1960
1530 in W. H. Turner Select. Rec. Oxf. (1880) 91 He sent for the tast of wyne..dew to him of every hoggshed.
15.. Aberdeen Reg. (Jam.) And send one taist of the wyne to the yerll of Rothes.
1723 S. Sewall Diary 4 Apr. (1973) II. 1007 My wife sent them a Taste of her Dinner.
1888 ‘R. Boldrewood’ Robbery under Arms xxxviii Bring me a taste of grog, will ye?
1904 in Eng. Dial. Dict. [from Scotl., Irel., N. Engl.].
1919 E. O'Neill Rope in Moon of Caribbees 202 Will ye have a taste? It's real stuff.
1966 New Yorker 25 June 33 Why don't you stop up Wednesday, and we'll have a taste.
1973 T. Kochman Rappin' & Stylin' Out 162 I view such terms as ‘pluck’ for wine and ‘taste’ for liquor as embodying an action element retained from its more conventional use as a verb.
1976 New Yorker 1 Mar. 84/2 He said, ‘Take me for a taste.’ We went into a bar, and I thought he'd settle down for a few, but he only had two shots.
1978 Maledicta 1977 1 224 Had a complete and unabetting weakness for taste (liquor).
c. figurative. A slight experience, received or given; a slight show or sample of any condition or quality.
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > manifestation > [noun] > a manifestation > slight
sparklec1380
taste1390
whiff1644
proffer1740
aperçu1828
snatch1880
the world > action or operation > endeavour > trial or experiment > [noun] > an experiment > a (slight) trial of something
taste1390
smatch1628
tirlc1660
shy1824
the world > relative properties > quantity > smallness of quantity, amount, or degree > [noun] > a small quantity or amount > a slight touch or trace
specec1330
taste1390
lisounc1400
savourc1400
smatcha1500
smell?a1505
spice1531
smack1539
shadow1586
surmise1586
relish1590
tang1593
touch1597
stain1609
tincture1612
dasha1616
soula1616
twanga1640
whiff1644
haut-goût1650
casta1661
stricturea1672
tinge1736
tinct1752
vestige1756
smattering1764
soupçon1766
smutch1776
shade1791
suspicion1809
lineament1811
trait1815
tint1817
trace1827
skiff1839
spicing1844
smudgea1871
ghost1887
the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > knowledge, what is known > experience > [noun] > a taste or experience of
taste1390
knowing1607
gust1658
hogo1719
the world > relative properties > kind or sort > individual character or quality > an individual case or instance > [noun] > typical or representative case > part as representative of the whole > sample or specimen
taste1390
muster1400
sample1428
scantillon1465
say1525
casta1556
assay1581
show1582
shave1604
trial1612
essay1614
pattern1648
trial-piece1663
dasha1672
swatch1697
spice1790
sampler1823
the world > action or operation > operation upon something > [noun] > fact of being affected or experience > slight
taste1825
1390 J. Gower Confessio Amantis II. 373 Whanne I beclippe hire on the wast, Yit ate leste I stele a tast.
1526 W. Bonde Pylgrimage of Perfection iii. sig. OOOiiii That is none other thyng, but a tast, how swete our lord Iesu is.
c1595 Capt. Wyatt in G. F. Warner Voy. R. Dudley to W. Indies (1899) 40 Most of them havinge some little tast of the Spanish tounge.
1599 A. Day Eng. Secretorie (rev. ed.) Ded. sig. A2v Socrates in his cradle had no taste of his after wisdome.
1669 W. Penn No Cross, No Crown xxi. §39 A soul Mortified to the World, and quickned to some Tasts of a Supernatural Life.
1825 C. Lamb in London Mag. May 68 Where was..the promised rest? Before I had a taste of it, it was vanished.
1897 A. Morrison Dorrington Deed-box i My first taste of grouse-shooting was a complete success.
d. a taste (adverb): colloquial to a small but perceptible degree; slightly; a little. Cf. bit n.2 and adj.2 Phrases 2b.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > quantity > smallness of quantity, amount, or degree > small of quantity, amount, or degree [phrase] > to a small extent or a little
littlec1175
a litec1290
a little quantityc1330
little whata1387
wee1513
a whit1526
thought1581
a wee bita1661
a small (also little) matter1690
a trifle1859
a wheen1869
a taste1894
smitch1895
a lick1902
mite1939
a skosh1959
a tidge1959
a tad1969
1894 H. Caine Manxman i. v Aisy! Your legs a taste higher, sir, just to keep the pickle off your trousers.
1894 H. Caine Manxman iii. xii ‘Nancy will tidy the room a taste’, she said coaxingly.
4.
a. The faculty or sense by which that particular quality of a thing described in sense 5 is discerned, the organs of which are situated chiefly in the mouth; one of the five bodily senses.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > taste and flavour > [noun] > sense of taste
smacka1200
smatcha1200
smatching?c1225
swallow1340
swallowing1340
tastec1380
toothc1386
palatea1398
chewinga1400
savouringc1405
gustc1430
tallage1557
relish1605
c1380 Eng. Wycliffite Serm. in Sel. Wks. I. 87 Whan þer tast is freishe, for to juge þe goodnesse, and after whan þei ben drunken and þer taist failiþ, þanne he puttiþ wers wyn.
c1394 P. Pl. Crede 537 Þanne haue y tynt all my tast touche and assaie!
1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomew de Glanville De Proprietatibus Rerum (1495) iii. xx. d vj b/2 The taast is a wytte of knowynge sauours.
1587 L. Mascall Bk. Cattell: Horses (1627) 111 Sometimes a horse will loose his tast, which commeth of sorrow.
a1616 W. Shakespeare As you like It (1623) ii. vii. 166 Second childishnesse, and meere obliuion, Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans euery thing. View more context for this quotation
1680 R. Morden Geogr. Rectified (1685) 119 Fruits more pleasant to the sight or tast.
1861 R. T. Hulme tr. C. H. Moquin-Tandon Elements Med. Zool. ii. i. 49 Taste is a species of touch of still more delicate character.
1884 Cornhill Mag. Dec. 620 Taste..is not equally distributed over the whole surface of the tongue alike.
b. out of taste, not able to distinguish flavours.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > taste and flavour > insipidity > [adjective] > without sense of taste
out of tastea1542
tasteless1605
untasting1707
a1542 T. Wyatt Coll. Poems (1969) xxx. 13 And if that I have after suche bitternes Any thing swete, my mouth is owte of tast.
1646 W. Jenkyn Reformation's Remora 20 The palat..is put out of taste.
1745 J. Swift Direct. to Servants 55 Your Mistress will confess that her Mouth is out of Taste.
5. figurative.14.. T. Hoccleve Compl. Virgin 213 Ther-in fynde I a bittir taast; For now the taast I feele & the streynynge Of deeth.1578 J. Lyly Euphues f. 76 How comfortable is the feelyng & tast of grace.a1616 W. Shakespeare Macbeth (1623) v. v. 9 I haue almost forgot the taste of Feares. View more context for this quotation1720 D. Manley Power of Love iii. 187 All the Favours upon Earth, from the greatest Beauties could have no Taste for Roderigo.† b. Odour, scent, smell. Obsolete.
a. That quality or property of a body or substance which is perceived when it is brought into contact with certain organs of the mouth, etc., esp. the tongue; savour, sapidity; the particular sensation excited by anything in this manner.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > taste and flavour > [noun]
smacka1000
savour?c1225
relesec1330
tastea1382
sentimentc1400
smatchc1400
taragec1407
tangc1440
weffec1440
tallage14..
sapor1477
verdurea1513
verdour1526
relish1530
verder1532
gustc1540
waft1542
smacker1549
talent1550
tack1602
tache1607
tincture1610
twang1611
foretaster1632
flavour1693
gusto1713
goût1751
saporosity1794
gustativeness1827
savouring1840
sipidity1880
palate1973
a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(1)) (1850) Jer. xlviii. 11 Therfore abod stille his tast in hym, and his smel is not chaungid.
c1400 Mandeville's Trav. (1839) xxvii. 273 Full gode fissch..of right goode tast.
c1430 J. Lydgate Minor Poems (Percy Soc.) 15 Damysyns wiche withe her taste delyte.
1535 Bible (Coverdale) Wisd. xvi. 2 A new & straunge taist.
1594 H. Plat Diuers Chimicall Concl. Distillation 11 in Jewell House A far more liuely & penetratiue tast.
1605 T. Tymme tr. J. Du Chesne Pract. Chymicall & Hermeticall Physicke i. v. 19 Diuers kindes of saltes..haue diuers tastes.
1714 J. Purcell Treat. Cholick 87 The acid Taste of this Recrement, and its coagulating of Milk, are undoubted.
1800 tr. E. J. B. Bouillon-Lagrange Man. Course Chem. II. 74 Iron..has a styptic taste, very sensible.
1857 W. A. Miller Elements Chem. (1862) III. 161 Sometimes a wine acquires a peculiar flavour known as the ‘taste of the cask’.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > smell and odour > [noun]
smacka1000
breathOE
smella1175
irea1300
weffea1300
thefa1325
relesec1330
odour?c1335
incensea1340
flair1340
savoura1350
smellingc1386
flavourc1400
fumec1400
reflairc1400
air?a1439
scent?1473
taste?c1475
verdure1520
senteur1601
waft1611
effluvium1656
fluor1671
burning scent1681
aura1732
fumet1735
snuff1763
olfacient1822
odouret1825
waff1827
gush1841
sniff1844
tang1858
nose1894
?c1475 Sqr. lowe Degre 850 Frankensence and olibanum That whan ye slepe the taste may come.
c1540 (?a1400) Destr. Troy 1668 Þat smelt is & smethe, smellis full swete, With taste for to touche the tabull aboute.
c. In figurative phrase a bad (or nasty) taste in the mouth and variants, a lingering feeling of repugnance or disgust left behind by a distasteful or unpleasant experience.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > hatred > dislike > disgust > expressing extreme disgust or violent resentment [phrase] > lingering feeling of repugnance or disgust
a bad (or nasty) taste in the mouth1857
1857 E. C. Gaskell Life C. Brontë II. viii. 186 They [sc. Balzac's novels] leave such a bad taste in my mouth. [Quoting C. Brontë in conversation.]
1899 R. Whiteing No. 5 John St. ii. xxv. 255 Never before have I heard such a speech... ‘Sort o' gives yer a nasty taste in the mouth,’ says Low Covey.
1904 Daily News 14 Dec. 5 The poems leave a nasty taste in the mouth; the taste of a snarl and a sneer.
1943 Sun (Baltimore) 22 Apr. 18/1 A decidedly sour taste was left by the opening number.
1969 R. Harper World of Thriller ii. 71 When all the characters are corrupt or shoddy, the reader goes away with a bad taste in his mouth.
1979 R. Perry Bishop's Pawn iv. 70 It had taken me nearly an hour to go through the dossier and when I'd finished reading I had a nasty taste in my mouth.
III. Senses relating to discrimination or discernment.† 6. Mental perception of quality; judgement, discriminative faculty. Obsolete except as in sense 8.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > judgement or decision > discernment, discrimination > [noun] > faculty of
shedc1000
discretionc1384
tastea1400
discernment1570
distinction1609
distinguishment1642
discrimination1764
society > faith > aspects of faith > spirituality > [noun] > wisdom
tastea1400
sapience1598
theosophy1837
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 11327 Þis symeon þat had his tast Toched o þe hali gast.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Trin. Cambr.) l. 18889 Þe salmes seiþ bi good taast His wonynge shulde be wilde & waast.
?1504 W. Atkinson tr. Thomas à Kempis Ful Treat. Imytacyon Cryste (Pynson) i. xxii. 171 Thou hast no spirituall tast.
1692 tr. C. de Saint-Évremond Misc. Ess. 350 If so be they demand of me..more than discretion in Commerce, and a taste in Confidence.
7. † b. Enjoyment, pleasure, ‘relish’. Const. in, of.
a. The fact or condition of liking or preferring something; inclination, liking for; †appreciation.
ΘΚΠ
the world > existence and causation > existence > state or condition > tendency > [noun]
kinda1200
disposingc1380
disposition1393
aptc1400
hieldc1400
remotiona1425
inclination?a1439
incliningc1450
taste1477
intendment1509
benta1535
swing1538
approclivity1546
aptness1548
swinge1548
drift1549
set1567
addiction1570
disposedness1583
swaya1586
leaning1587
intention1594
inflection1597
inclinableness1608
appetite1626
vogue1626
tendency1628
tendence1632
aptitude1633
gravitation1644
propension1644
biasing1645
conducement1646
flexure1652
propendency1660
tend1663
vergencya1665
pend1674
to have a way of1748
polarity1767
appetency1802
drive1885
overleaning1896
the mind > emotion > love > liking or favourable regard > [noun] > fact of being to one's taste > taste (for something)
savour?c1225
toothc1386
palate1435
taste1477
relish1590
gust1609
gusto1647
1477 W. Caxton tr. R. Le Fèvre Hist. Jason (1913) 96 Therfore wille thou..employ thy corage after the taste of our desires.
1552 Godly Prayers in W. K. Clay Liturg. Services Q. Eliz. (1847) 253 That we..may have some taste and feeling for it in our hearts.
?1572 T. Paynell tr. Treasurie Amadis of Fraunce x. 236 She hath somwhat a regarde to things that are agaynst my owne taste.
1630 R. Norton tr. W. Camden Hist. Princesse Elizabeth ii. 40 From the time that I had any taste of Religion.
1711 J. Addison Spectator No. 93. ¶13 A Man that has a Taste of Musick, Painting, or Architecture.
1727 A. Pope et al. Περι Βαθους: Art of Sinking in J. Swift et al. Misc.: Last Vol. The Taste of the Bathos is implanted by Nature itself in the Soul of Man.
1728 J. Swift Intelligencer No. 3. ⁋3 Whoever hath a taste for true humour.
1791 E. Inchbald Simple Story III. v. 70 She had acquired a taste for those amusements.
1838 E. Bulwer-Lytton Alice I. i. ix. 75 The other girl is more amusing, more to my taste.
1880 L. Stephen Alexander Pope iv. 86 Every opportunity for the indulgence of his favourite tastes.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > physical sensibility > sensuous pleasure > [noun]
likingeOE
titillationc1450
enjoying1536
enjoyment1553
enjoy1589
taste1604
enjoyance1632
adlubescence1656
gratification1712
ooh-la-la1952
the mind > emotion > pleasure > [noun] > relish
smack1340
relisha1591
taste1604
zest1758
1604 E. Grimeston tr. J. de Acosta Nat. & Morall Hist. Indies iii. ix. 150 He found not in himselfe any disposition to goe to any other place, nor to take any taste in any thing.
1707 O. Blackall Blessedness of Poor in Spirit 14 The Happiness of a Man's life consists not in the Abundance of the things that he possesses, but in the Taste and Relish that he has of them.
c. transferred. The object of one's liking or preference.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > will > free will > choice or choosing > types of choice > [noun] > choosing as more desirable > a preference > one's special preference
taste1739
particular1801
one's cup of tea1932
in the groove1958
1739 G. Stone in Buccleuch MSS (Hist. MSS Comm.) (1899) I. 392 White beauties..are the taste of the Irish nation.
8.
a. The sense of what is appropriate, harmonious, or beautiful; esp. discernment and appreciation of the beautiful in nature or art; spec. the faculty of perceiving and enjoying what is excellent in art, literature, and the like.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > good taste > [noun]
good tastea1400
sensea1616
epicurism1655
gusto1663
fancyc1665
sapience1667
taste1671
curiositya1684
niceness1698
gust1706
sensibility1735
connoissance1736
connoisseurship1749
tapinophoby1773
theoria1846
shibui1960
1671 J. Milton Paradise Regain'd iv. 344 Sion's songs, to all true tasts excelling, Where God is prais'd aright. View more context for this quotation
1694 W. Congreve Double-dealer i. i. 3 No, no, hang him, he has no tast.
1712 J. Addison Spectator No. 409. ¶1 Rules..how we may acquire that fine Taste of Writing, which is so much talked of among the Polite World.
1768 W. Gilpin Ess. Prints 160 There is a fine taste in his landskips.
1776 J. Reynolds Disc. Royal Acad. (1778) 311 I have mentioned taste in dress, which is certainly one of the lowest subjects to which this word is applied.
a1806 J. Barry in R. N. Wornum Lect. on Painting (1848) 108 The word taste, as applied to objects of vision,..means..that quick discerning faculty or power of the mind, by which we accurately distinguish the good, bad, or indifferent.
1818 S. T. Coleridge Gen. Introd. or Treat. on Method 3 in Encycl. Metrop. I A fine musical taste is soon dissatisfied with the Harmonica, or any similar instrument of glass or steel.
1835 A. Ure Philos. Manuf. 254 Taste is displayed both in the forms and grouping of the figures, and the disposition of the colours.
1849 W. Irving Oliver Goldsmith (rev. ed.) xxvii. 238 The latter part of the year 1768 had been made memorable in the world of taste by the institution of the Royal Academy of Arts.
1872 W. Minto Man. Eng. Prose Lit. Introd. 29 The word taste..in its wider sense is equivalent to artistic sensibility,..in its narrower sense it may be expressed as artistic judgment.
b. Style or manner exhibiting aesthetic discernment; good or bad aesthetic quality; the style or manner favoured in any age or country.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > good taste > aesthetic quality or good taste > [noun]
elegance1655
goût1699
taste1739
tastefulness1843
tastiness1882
yugen1921
the mind > attention and judgement > fashionableness > [noun] > the or a prevailing fashion
gentryc1400
the fashion1569
mainstream1599
the trim1603
mood1646
mode1649
vogue1649
beauty1653
à la mode1654
turn1695
the kick1699
goût1717
thing1734
taste1739
ton1769
nick1788
the tippy1790
twig1811
latest1814
dernier mot1834
ticket1838
kibosh1880
last cry1887
le (or the) dernier cri1896
flavour of the month (or week)1946
vague1962
1739 C. Labelye Short Acct. Piers Westm. Bridge 44 The People who design'd and executed London-Bridge, and other Bridges in the same Taste.
1755 Compl. Let.-writer (1759) 227 Her own old-fashioned breast-plate in the taste of the last century.
1819 W. Scott Ivanhoe II. xiv. 264 A rich habit, which partook more of the eastern taste than that of Europe.
1826 B. Disraeli Vivian Grey I. ii. xiii. 182 Nothing could be more moderate, or, as Miss Gusset said, ‘in better taste’.
1843 G. Borrow Bible in Spain II. xviii. 377 It was..built something in the Moorish taste.
Compounds
C1. General attributive.
a.
taste-area n.
taste-centre n.
ΚΠ
1891 Cent. Dict. Taste-center, the gustatory nervous center, located by Ferrier in the gyrus uncinatus of the brain.
taste-fibre n.
ΚΠ
1899 T. C. Allbutt et al. Syst. Med. VI. 793 Whether the taste-fibres pass by the second or third divisions of the nerve.
taste goblet n.
ΚΠ
1879Taste-goblet [see taste-bud n. at Compounds 2].
taste-leader n.
ΚΠ
1952 D. Riesman Individualism Reconsidered (1954) 207 The problem..of becoming a possible taste-leader.
taste-maker n.
ΚΠ
1961 New Left Rev. Jan. 34/2 These areas of work are excluded, by the tastemakers, from the concept of ‘serious’ art.
1978 Jrnl. Royal Soc. Arts 126 725/2 Federigo's artistic patronage did prove a tastemaker, though of a limited kind.
taste-meter n.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > good taste > aesthetic quality or good taste > [adjective]
well-fancied1638
tasteful1756
tasty1762
taste-meter1814
unflashy1870
society > society and the community > social class > the common people > specific classes of common people > fashionable society > [noun] > member of
(man, woman) of fashion1702
fashionablea1800
taste-meter1814
presentee1822
societarian1841
viveur1845
fashion-fly1868
socialite1909
celebutante1939
jet-setter1959
Sloanie1982
1814 S. T. Coleridge in J. Cottle Remin. (1837) II. 211 This taste~meter to the fashionable world, gives a ludicrous portrait of an African belle.
taste-organ n.
ΚΠ
1927 J. B. S. Haldane & J. S. Huxley Animal Biol. i. 25 A number of very small taste-organs are scattered over certain parts of the tongue [of the frog].
1970 G. Ordish tr. R. Chauvin World of Ants vii. 175 The taste organ is situated in the antennae.
b.
taste-pleasing adj.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > taste and flavour > savouriness > [adjective]
likingeOE
goodOE
lickerousc1275
deliciousa1325
daintya1382
dainteousc1386
daintiful1393
delicatea1398
merrya1398
savourlyc1400
liciousc1420
savourousa1425
daintethc1430
lustyc1430
feelsomea1450
nuttya1450
seasonablea1475
delicativec1475
unctuous1495
well-tasteda1500
daintive1526
savoury1533
exquisite1561
spicy1562
well-relished?1575
finger-licking1584
toothsome1584
taste-pleasinga1586
daint1590
relishsome1593
lickerish1595
tastesome1598
friand1599
tooth-tempting1603
relishing1605
well-relishing1608
neat1609
hungry1611
palate-pleasing1611
tasteful1611
palatea1617
tastya1617
palatable1619
toothful1622
sipid1623
unsoured1626
famelic1631
tasteablea1641
piquant1645
sapid1646
saporousa1670
slape1671
palativea1682
flavorous1697
nice1709
well-flavoured1717
gusty1721
flavoury1727
fine-palated1735
unrepulsive1787
degustatory1824
zesty1826
peckish1845
mouth-watering1847
flavoursome1853
unreasty1853
unrancida1855
relishy1864
toothy1864
flavoured1867
tasty-looking1867
hungrifying1886
velvety1888
snappy1892
zippy1911
savoursome1922
delish1953
a1586 Sir P. Sidney Arcadia (1590) i. iii. sig. C1v A place cunninglie set with trees of the moste tast-pleasing fruites.
C2. † taste-paper n. Obsolete in the (old) Greats examination at Oxford, the paper in which passages were set from the classical authors for critical and exegetical treatment.
taste-beaker n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > the body > sense organ > taste organ > [noun]
taster1596
taste-bud1879
taste-bulb1883
taste-goblet1888
taste-cell1890
taste-beaker1901
taste-corpuscle-
1901 E. B. Titchener Exper. Psychol. I. iv. 64 Each papilla carries a number of taste-beakers, clusters of taste~cells and supporting cells, which constitute the specific end-organs of taste.
taste-blind adj.
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > ill health > a disease > disordered taste, smell, or touch > [adjective] > taste-blind
taste-blind1934
1934 Jrnl. Heredity 25 189/2 There is less likelihood of finding a group entirely taste blind.
1975 Nature 6 Feb. 442/1 The designation ‘tasters’ for the more sensitive individual and ‘non-tasters’ or ‘taste blind’ for the less sensitive.
taste-blindness n. Biology (see quot. 1934).
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > ill health > a disease > disordered taste, smell, or touch > [noun] > taste
ageustia1800
ageusia1817
parageusia1817
hypergeusia1855
hypogeusia1888
taste-blindness1934
1934 Jrnl. Heredity 25 190/1 Taste blindness is an inherited inability to taste certain thiocarbamides as crystals or in cold diluted solutions as bitter.
1965 M. A. Amerine & V. L. Singleton Wine ii. 112 Based on studies of families and twins, ‘taste blindness’ was first reported to be a simple recessive character.
taste-bud n. a group of cells in the epithelium of the tongue etc., through which the faculty of taste operates; also figurative.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > the body > sense organ > taste organ > [noun]
taster1596
taste-bud1879
taste-bulb1883
taste-goblet1888
taste-cell1890
taste-beaker1901
taste-corpuscle-
1879 J. F. Fulton Text Bk. Physiol. (ed. 2) xiv. 365 Peculiar structures, known as taste buds, or taste goblets, have been discovered in the circumvallate papillæ.
1951 V. Nabokov Speak, Memory ii. 30 It is..to the lowly and ugly agarics, that nations with timorous taste-buds limit their knowledge and appetite.
1963 Listener 3 Jan. 40/1 Vested interests and pressure-groups work upon everything from our political opinions to our taste-buds.
1970 T. S. Leeson & C. R. Leeson Histol. (ed. 2) xiv. 274/2 A few taste buds are found also in the palate and epiglottis.
taste-bulb n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > the body > sense organ > taste organ > [noun]
taster1596
taste-bud1879
taste-bulb1883
taste-goblet1888
taste-cell1890
taste-beaker1901
taste-corpuscle-
1883 Science 1 232/2 The taste-bulbs, numbering 700 or more, lying in the papillary wall of the valla.
taste-cell n. see quot.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > the body > sense organ > taste organ > [noun]
taster1596
taste-bud1879
taste-bulb1883
taste-goblet1888
taste-cell1890
taste-beaker1901
taste-corpuscle-
1890 J. S. Billings National Med. Dict. at Taste Taste-cells, spindle-shaped or staff-shaped cells in the interior of the taste-bulbs.
Thesaurus »
Categories »
taste-corpuscle n. = taste-cell n.
taste-cup n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > invertebrates > phylum Arthropoda > class Insecta > parts of insects > [noun] > head > mouth-parts or trophi > epipharynx > pit on
taste-cup1898
taste-pit1898
1898 A. S. Packard Text-bk. Entomol. 45 The structure and armature of the epipharyngeal surface even besides the taste-pits, taste-cups, and rods, is very varied.
taste-goblet n. former names for the taste-bud n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > the body > sense organ > taste organ > [noun]
taster1596
taste-bud1879
taste-bulb1883
taste-goblet1888
taste-cell1890
taste-beaker1901
taste-corpuscle-
1888 J. G. M'Kendrick in Encycl. Brit. XXIII. 79/2 The terminal organs of taste consist of peculiar bodies named taste-bulbs or taste-goblets.
taste-hair n. one of the setæ or bristles, near the mouth of an insect or other arthropod, supposed to be organs of taste.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > invertebrates > phylum Arthropoda > [noun] > member of > parts of > mouth-like appendage > bristle near mouth
taste-hair1905
1905 Jrnl. Royal Microsc. Soc. 180 Taste-hairs, homologous with Kræpelin's taste-hairs in Muscidæ, are found in various orders of insects.
ΘΚΠ
society > education > educational administration > examination > [noun] > paper
test-paper1827
examination paper1829
paper1835
exam paper1837
taste-paper1860
bumf1889
special paper1960
1860 T. Hughes Tom Brown at Oxf. II. viii. 134 In the taste paper.., as they compare notes, he seems to have almost struck the bull's-eye in his answers.
1898Taste-pit [see taste-pit n.]. taste-pit n. one of the minute pits found on the epipharynx of an insect, having in the centre a peg, the termination of a nerve.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > invertebrates > phylum Arthropoda > class Insecta > parts of insects > [noun] > head > mouth-parts or trophi > epipharynx > pit on
taste-cup1898
taste-pit1898
1898 A. S. Packard Text-bk. Entomol. 45 The structure and armature of the epipharyngeal surface even besides the taste-pits, taste-cups, and rods, is very varied.
taste-test v. (transitive) to test (something) by tasting it, to test the taste of (something); also absol.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > taste and flavour > [verb (transitive)] > test by tasting
assay1377
tastea1400
to taste ofa1400
saya1450
cun1493
essay1598
palate1609
pree1680
flavour1823
taste-test1979
1979 Wichita (Kansas) Eagle 23 May 1- b/4 If you've never cooked with fresh ginger..taste-test before adding more.
1980 D. Williams Murder for Treasure xx. 198 He found himself staring into the eyes of a gargantuan dog whose giant tongue was taste-testing his chin.
taste-tested adj.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > taste and flavour > [adjective] > tested by tasting
tastedc1403
taste-tested1960
1960 Time (Atlantic ed.) 11 Apr. 58 Critically taste-tested piles of free cigarettes.
taste-tester n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > taste and flavour > [noun] > a test by tasting > one who tests by tasting
taster1387
assayer?c1400
tempterc1450
guster1609
essayer1611
smacker1648
pregustic1694
flesh-taster1766
taste-tester1969
1969 Listener 24 July 127/3 Game would be virtually tasteless if taste-testers succeeded in eliminating all its off-flavours.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1910; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
tasten.2
/teɪst/, U.S. /teɪst/ U.S. local.
A kind of narrow thin silk ribbon used for edge-binding: now commonly called taffeta-binding. See also wire n.1 Compounds 2 -taste.
ΚΠ
1847 in Webster's Amer. Dict. Eng. Lang.
a1889 F. A. P. Barnard in New Haven (Connecticut) Palladium 18 Apr. If..Mrs. S. has any taste she will oblige me by sending me half a yard, no matter of what color, so it be not black.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1910; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
tastev.
/teɪst/, U.S. /teɪst/ I. Of touch, feeling, or experience generally.† 1. † b. intransitive. To feel, touch; to grope. Obsolete.† c. transitive. To come into contact with, to touch.† 2. † c. To attempt, try to do something. Obsolete. rare.
a. transitive. To try, examine, or explore by touch; to feel; to handle. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > touch and feeling > touching > touching with the hand > touch or feel with the hand [verb (transitive)] > examine by
gropec1000
handleOE
tastec1290
feela1400
grob1654
explore1689
grubblea1690
pouter1808
palpate1850
fingle1907
c1290 St. Michael 312 in S. Eng. Leg. I. 308 With þat finguer he wole hit tasti ȝif it is a-riȝt i-wrouȝt.
c1330 R. Mannyng Chron. Wace (Rolls) 9011 He tasted his pous,..He seide he knew his medycyn.
c1330 Amis & Amil. 1401 Leches..That gun to tasty his wounde.
1390 J. Gower Confessio Amantis III. 315 This noble clerk, with alle haste Began the veines forto taste.
1480 W. Caxton tr. Ovid Metamorphoses x. vii She toke hardynes for the derknes, and tasted the waye on the ryght side & lyft.
1525 Ld. Berners tr. J. Froissart Cronycles II. xxxviii. 115 The men of armes entre into the dykes,..and tasted the dyke with their speares, and passed ouer to the fote of the wall.
1646 R. Crashaw Musicks Duell in Steps to Temple 106 With a quavering coynesse tasts the strings.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > touch and feeling > touching > touching with the hand > touch or feel with the hand [verb (intransitive)]
gropec825
handlea1300
taste1377
grappe1382
grasp1382
grubblea1690
1377 W. Langland Piers Plowman B. xvii. 147 Þe fyngres..Bitokneth sothly þe sone..Þat toched and tasted atte techynge of þe paume.
1481 W. Caxton tr. Hist. Reynard Fox (1970) 27 Isegrym..crope a lityl in, and tasted here and there, and at laste he sayde..what I seche I fynde not.
1484 W. Caxton tr. G. de la Tour-Landry Bk. Knight of Tower (1971) lxii. 90 He tasted aboute, and founde well that the dede was trewe.
a1500 (?c1450) Merlin xxxiii. 681 She be-gan to taste softly till he fill on slepe.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > distance > nearness > be near to [verb (transitive)] > be in contact with
toucha1350
meeta1400
to meet witha1400
raise1591
buss1609
taste1634
osculate1740
incidea1774
nuzzle1891
1634 T. Herbert Relation Some Yeares Trauaile 18 Such as haue the Scuruy..so soone as they taste the shore..eat three-leafed-grasse.
a. transitive. To put to the proof; to try, test. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > endeavour > trial or experiment > trial, test, or testing > try or test [verb (transitive)]
fandc893
costeneOE
afondOE
provea1200
fraista1300
assay1330
sayc1330
try1362
approvec1380
examinea1382
winnowa1382
tempt1382
tastea1400
assailc1405
essay1484
scryc1615
sensea1688
test1748
trial1981
dogfood1997
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Gött.) l. 12934 Þe warlou wili..wold him tast wid sin, To witt if he had part him in.
a1450 (c1410) H. Lovelich Hist. Holy Grail lii. l. 603 He lyht Adown..and tasted his harneis In that stede, þat it scholde not faille whanne he hadd nede.
1585–6 Sir T. Sherley in J. Bruce Leycester Corr. (1844) 174 I thowght to tast her affectyon unto your lordship.
?1615 G. Chapman tr. Homer Odysses (new ed.) xxi. 211 And he now began To taste the bow.
1647 C. Cotterell & W. Aylesbury tr. E. C. Davila Hist. Civill Warres France ii. 57 At length he resolved to taste in some measure the King's inclinations.
1670 C. Cotton tr. G. Girard Hist. Life Duke of Espernon ii. v. 206 Him he first tasted by Lafin, the same who had made himself a Mediator betwixt the Duke of Espernon and l'Esdiguieres in Provence.
b. spec.: see quots.
ΚΠ
1711 W. Sutherland Ship-builders Assistant 164 Tasting of Plank or Timber, chipping of it with an Addice to try the Defects.
1850 J. Greenwood Sailor's Sea-bk. 155 Tasting of plank or timber, chipping it with an adze, or boring it with a small augur, for the purpose of ascertaining its quality.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > endeavour > make an attempt or endeavour [verb (intransitive)] > to do something
cuneOE
seekc1000
fanda1225
suec1325
tastec1330
enforcec1340
study1340
temptc1384
intendc1385
assaila1393
proffera1393
to make meansc1395
search?a1400
fraistc1400
pursuec1400
to go aboutc1405
pretend1482
attempta1513
essay?1515
attend1523
regarda1533
offer1541
frame1545
to stand about1549
to put into (also in) practice1592
prove1612
imitate1626
snap1766
begin1833
make1880
c1330 R. Mannyng Chron. Wace (Rolls) 13834 On many manere ilk oþer tasted Ilk oþer to slo, ilk oþer to wounde.
a1500 (?c1450) Merlin xxxii. 649 He caste a-wey his clubbe and tasted to chacche the kynge in his armes.
3. † b. To have carnal knowledge of. Obsolete.
a. figurative. To have experience or knowledge of; to experience, feel; to have a slight experience of.Often (in later use perhaps always) figurative from 4.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > operation upon something > have effect on [verb (transitive)] > be subjected to or undergo an action > undergo or experience
feelOE
seeOE
passa1325
provec1330
attastec1374
wielda1375
tastec1380
sufferc1390
to pass through ——c1400
expert?a1475
traverse1477
experiment1484
savour1509
to taste of1526
to go through ——1535
sustain1575
approve1578
try1578
experience1588
undergo1600
to run through ——1602
pree1806
the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > knowledge, what is known > experience > [verb (transitive)] > slightly
tastec1380
c1380 Eng. Wycliffite Serm. in Sel. Wks. I. 126 He shal not taaste þe longe deþ.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 18940 Als gaf to þaim þe haligast Alkin wiit to tuche and tast.
1576 A. Fleming tr. Cicero in Panoplie Epist. 35 In ciuil commotions all thinges are miserable:..this our present age also hath oftentimes tasted.
1630 tr. G. Botero Relations Famous Kingdomes World (rev. ed.) 138 [The Gaules] who from Caesars time till then, had not tasted the force of a forren power.
1693 Humours & Conversat. Town A ij b You have tasted the Pleasures of the Town.
1717 Ockley in H. Ellis Orig. Lett. Eminent Literary Men (1843) (Camden) 353 I enjoy more repose here than I have tasted these many years.
1864 J. H. Burton Scot Abroad I. iv. 207 John Knox, who was just returned from tasting the tender mercies of France as a galley-slave.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > sexual relations > sexual activity > engage in sexual activity with [verb (transitive)] > have sexual intercourse with
mingeOE
haveOE
knowc1175
ofliec1275
to lie with (or by)a1300
knowledgec1300
meetc1330
beliea1350
yknowc1350
touchc1384
deala1387
dightc1386
usea1387
takec1390
commona1400
to meet witha1400
servea1400
occupy?a1475
engender1483
jangle1488
to be busy with1525
to come in1530
visitc1540
niggle1567
mow1568
to mix one's thigh with1593
do1594
grind1598
pepper1600
yark1600
tumble1603
to taste of1607
compressc1611
jumble1611
mix?1614
consort?1615
tastea1616
bumfiddle1630
ingressa1631
sheet1637
carnal1643
night-work1654
bump1669
bumble1680
frig?c1680
fuck1707
stick1707
screw1719
soil1722
to do over1730
shag1770
hump1785
subagitatec1830
diddle1879
to give (someone) onec1882
charver1889
fuckeec1890
plugc1890
dick1892
to make a baby1911
to know (a person) in the biblical sense1912
jazz1920
rock1922
yentz1924
roll1926
to make love1927
shtupa1934
to give (or get) a tumble1934
shack1935
bang1937
to have it off1937
rump1937
tom1949
to hop into bed (with)1951
ball1955
to make it1957
plank1958
score1960
naughty1961
pull1965
pleasurea1967
to have away1968
to have off1968
dork1970
shaft1970
bonk1975
knob1984
boink1985
fand-
a1616 W. Shakespeare Cymbeline (1623) ii. iv. 57 If you can mak't apparant That you haue tasted her in Bed; my hand, And Ring is yours. View more context for this quotation
1640 T. Carew Poems 41 So shalt thou be despis'd, faire Maid, When by the sated lover tasted.
1752 E. Young Brothers iv. i What, see, talk, touch, nay taste her!
II. Of the special sense that resides in the tongue and palate.† 10. To cause a pleasant taste in (the mouth); to affect (the palate) agreeably; hence figurative to please, suit, be agreeable to. (Originally intransitive with dative object; in quot. 1672 with to.) Obsolete.
4. † b. figurative. To perceive or recognize as by the sense of taste. Obsolete.
a. transitive. To perceive by the sense of taste; to perceive or experience the taste or flavour of.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > perception or cognition > perceive [verb (transitive)]
acknowOE
keepc1000
feelOE
findOE
seeOE
yknowc1275
apperceivec1300
descrivec1300
knowc1300
perceivec1330
taste1340
tellc1390
catcha1398
scenta1398
devisea1400
kena1400
concernc1425
descrya1450
henta1450
apprehend1577
scerne1590
to take in1637
discreevec1650
recognize1795
absorb1840
embrace1852
cognizea1856
cognosce1874
the world > physical sensation > taste and flavour > [verb (transitive)] > perceive taste of (something)
feelc1225
smack1340
taste1340
find?a1425
1340–70 Alex. & Dind. 952 In menskinge of mouþ mirþe we hauen, In tendere touchinge of þing, & tastinge of swete.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Fairf. 14) l. 23456 In þis werlde has men liking..squete spiceri to tast [Vesp. fell] & smelle.
c1430 J. Lydgate Minor Poems 14 Wellys most holsom of savour, For to be tasted of every governour.
c1440 Promptorium Parvulorum 487/1 Taastyn, gusto.
1535 Bible (Coverdale) 2 Sam. xix. 35 This daye am I foure score yeare olde. How shulde I..taist what I eate or drynke?
1597 W. Shakespeare Romeo & Juliet i. iii. 32 When it did tast the wormwood. View more context for this quotation
1774 O. Goldsmith Hist. Earth VI. 242 When once it has tasted human flesh, it never desists from haunting those places where it expects the return of its prey.
1909 Daily Chron. 17 Nov. 8/4 She said the smells were so bad that they could be tasted as well as smelt.
ΚΠ
1583 G. Babington Very Fruitfull Expos. Commaundem. i. 11 Euen a worlde it is to see howe all, as dead, doe tast no sinne in it.
1591 J. Harington Briefe Apol. Poetrie in tr. L. Ariosto Orlando Furioso sig. ¶viijv Three syllabled wordes..which who mislike, may tast lamp oyle with their eares.
1631 B. Jonson Divell is Asse i. vi. 138 in Wks. II Nay, then, I taste a tricke in 't.
c. absol. or intransitive. To experience or distinguish flavours; to have or exercise the sense of taste.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > taste and flavour > [verb (intransitive)]
tastea1387
attastec1460
a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1869) II. 181 Þey..mowe noþer see ne hire, ne taste, ne smelle.
c1560 A. Scott Poems (S.T.S.) xxxi. 18 No wit salbe degest, To heir, se, smell, nor test.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Twelfth Night (1623) i. v. 86 O you are sicke [printed ficke] of selfe-loue Maluolio, and taste with a distemper'd appetite. View more context for this quotation
1910 N.E.D. at Taste Mod. I have got a very bad cold, and can neither taste nor smell.
5. transferred (transitive) To perceive by some other sense, esp. smell. Now only poetic or dialect.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > smell and odour > [verb (transitive)] > exercise the sense of smell
snevec1200
snokec1380
savoura1382
thevea1400
whiff1635
nesea1637
scent1638
venta1640
taste1656
snift1736
sniff1792
olfact1805
to run up1815
smell1831
sniffa1845
snuff1858
smellsip1922
1656 Earl of Monmouth tr. T. Boccalini Ragguagli di Parnasso 380 Would you have men taste the odoriferousness of those Aromaticks which you..have brought from the Indies?
1674 J. Ray N. Country Words To Tast; i.e. to smell in the North.
1820 J. Keats Isabella in Lamia & Other Poems 53 I must taste the blossoms that unfold In its ripe warmth this gracious morning time.
1844 A. W. Kinglake Eothen ii. 28 To taste the cold breath of the earliest morn.
1896 W. W. Skeat & T. Hallam Pegge's Two Coll. Derbicisms Taste, to smell, in the North. See Ray. You commonly ask a person to taste your snuff.
6.
a. To try the flavour or quality of by the sense of taste; to put a small quantity of (something) into the mouth in order to ascertain the flavour, etc.; spec. to test the quality of by tasting, for trade purposes. Also absol.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > taste and flavour > [verb (transitive)]
fandc893
cunc1175
smatch?c1225
swallowa1340
tastea1400
savour?a1425
strain1533
relish1592
pree1680
the world > physical sensation > taste and flavour > [verb (transitive)] > taste so as to appreciate
attastec1374
tastea1400
gustc1430
degustate1599
degust1623
smack1822
the world > physical sensation > taste and flavour > [verb (transitive)] > test by tasting
assay1377
tastea1400
to taste ofa1400
saya1450
cun1493
essay1598
palate1609
pree1680
flavour1823
taste-test1979
the world > food and drink > food > consumption of food or drink > eating > processes or manners of eating > eat via specific process [verb (transitive)] > eat small amounts
tastea1400
picklea1522
to taste of1607
pingle1903
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 13403 Þai fild a cupp þan son in hast, And gaf it þe architricline to tast.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Gött.) l. 16773 [Þ]at bitter drinc..He tasted it, bot noght he dranc.
a1425 (c1395) Bible (Wycliffite, L.V.) (Royal) (1850) Rom. xi. 16 If a litil part of that that is tastid be hooli, the hool gobet is hooli.
1535 Bible (Coverdale) Job xxxiv. 3 For like as the mouth tasteth [1382 Wyclif bi tast demeth] the meates, so the eare proueth & discerneth the wordes.
1552 R. Huloet Abcedarium Anglico Latinum Taste afore or fyrste, prolibo.
1604 in J. T. Smith & L. T. Smith Eng. Gilds (1870) 435 The ale teaster to teast the ale before they sell it.
1773 J. Hawkesworth Acct. Voy. Southern Hemisphere II. i. iii. 44 Having tasted the liquor, they returned it, with strong expressions of disgust.
1837 N. Whittock et al. Compl. Bk. Trades (1842) 441 This system of tasting constitutes the acme of the great Teaman's trade.
b. intransitive with of: see 12a.
c. spec. (transitive) To test or certify the wholesomeness of (food provided) by tasting it; also absol. to act as taster to a person. Also figurative.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > taste and flavour > [verb (intransitive)] > test by tasting
provec1390
to taste ofa1400
saya1450
taste1600
the world > food and drink > food > food manufacture and preparation > cooking > food taster or tester > taste or test food [verb (transitive)]
taste1600
the world > action or operation > endeavour > trial or experiment > trial, test, or testing > try or test [verb (transitive)] > in advance > in advance of someone
taste1600
1600 J. Pory tr. J. Leo Africanus Geogr. Hist. Afr. Introd. 32 He [the emperor] is tasted vnto, not before, but after he hath eaten and drunke.
a1616 W. Shakespeare King John (1623) v. vi. 29 How did he take it [sc. poison]? Who did taste to him? View more context for this quotation
1678 J. Dryden All for Love i. 15 Thou and I, Like Time and Death, marching before our Troops, May taste fate to e'm; Mowe e'm out a passage.
1682 T. Southerne Loyal Brother i. i True, I make bold To taste their letters to 'em, as they pass Through my Employment.
d. figurative. To make trial of as by the sense of taste; to try the quality of. Also with object clause, and absol. or intransitive. Cf. sense 2.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > endeavour > trial or experiment > try experiments or make experiment [verb (intransitive)]
taste1382
provec1390
assayc1394
try1573
to try conclusions1601
to give the adventure1607
experiment1787
experimentalize1800
experimentize1847
dogfood1996
the world > action or operation > endeavour > trial or experiment > make experiment of or with [verb (transitive)]
afondc1300
assailc1300
found1340
assay1377
taste1382
experiment1524
experience1541
try1545
attempt1563
practise1632
explore1667
experimentate1670
to taste of1700
to try out1888
to try (something)(on) for size1979
fand-
1382 J. Wyclif Psalms xxxiii. 9 [xxxiv. 8] Tastith, and seeth, for sweete is the Lord.
1390 J. Gower Confessio Amantis II. 395 Mi fader, nay; bot I have tasted In many a place as I have go, And yit love I nevere on of tho.
1597 T. Morley Plaine & Easie Introd. Musicke Annot. sig. *4v Who hath tasted the firste elements of musicke.
1602 B. Jonson Poetaster v. iii. sig. M4 Then come home, And taste a piece of Terence; sucke his Phrase In steede of Licorice. View more context for this quotation
1820 J. Keats Isabella in Lamia & Other Poems 73 O turn thee to the very tale, And taste the music of that vision pale.
1896 ‘Iota’ Quaker Grandmother 294 She waited breathlessly to taste the quality of her mercy.
7.
a. To have or take a taste of (food or drink); to take only as much as is sufficient to try or perceive the taste of, to eat or drink a little; but often by meiosis, simply for ‘eat’ or ‘drink’. Negatively, not to taste = not even to taste, not to eat or drink at all. Also figurative to get a ‘taste’ of.
ΚΠ
c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(2)) (1850) Luke xiv. 24 I seie to ȝou, for noone of tho men that ben clepid, schal taaste my souper.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) Noþer durst þai drinc ne ete, Ne brek þair brede, ne tast þair mes Til he war cummen til þair des.
1596 J. Dalrymple tr. J. Leslie Hist. Scotl. (1888) I. 69 Of mony things we sal taist a few as we may.
1624 F. Quarles Iob Militant xi. Medit. 35 Wisdom digests, what knowledge did but tast.
1653 I. Walton Compl. Angler i. 2 I often..taste a cup of Ale there. View more context for this quotation
1700 J. Astry tr. D. de Saavedra Fajardo Royal Politician I. 31 It will suffice therefore for a Prince to tast the Arts and Sciences.
1775 W. Mason Gray's Ode Vicissitude in Poems 80 She eyes the clear crystalline well [of Pleasure], And tastes it as it goes.
1853 C. Kingsley Hypatia I. x. 208 He had tasted no food since noon the day before.
b. absol. or intransitive. Elliptical for ‘taste wine or alcoholic drink’; to take a little drink. Scottish.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > drink > drinking > [verb (intransitive)] > drink intoxicating liquor
to wet (one's) whistle, weasand, mouth, beak, beardc1386
bibc1400
to kiss the cupa1420
drawa1500
refresh1644
mug1653
bub1654
jug1681
whiffle1693
dram1740
wet1783
to suck (also sup) the monkey1785
stimulate1800
lush1811
taste1823
liquor1839
oil1841
paint1853
irrigate1856
nip1858
smile1858
peg1874
gargle1889
shicker1906
stop1924
bevvy1934
1823 J. Galt Ringan Gilhaize I. xiv. 159 He pressed my grandfather to taste.
1901 S. Macnaughtan Fortune of Christina M'Nab ii ‘Thank you’, said Christina, ‘I do not taste’.
1910 N.E.D. at Taste Mod. Sc. Will you not taste? Do you never taste?
8. To like the taste of (usually figurative); to relish, approve of, enjoy, like, take pleasure in; in earlier use sometimes in neutral sense: to appreciate. Now archaic or dialect.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > pleasure > be pleased with [verb (transitive)] > take pleasure in or enjoy
likeOE
joyc1330
love1340
fruishc1450
enjoy1462
to enjoy of?1521
to have the honour1525
relish1580
jouise1598
taste1605
palate1609
to get a kick out of1928
the world > physical sensation > physical sensibility > sensuous pleasure > [verb (transitive)] > enter into enjoyment of > enjoy or revel in
savoura1400
delighta1425
fain1483
to have, take felicity in or to1542
forage1593
batten1604
taste1605
to take out1609
to have a gust of1658
1605 Earl of Salisbury in Buccleuch MSS (Hist. MSS Comm.) (1899) I. 81 This [proposal] was at first but little tasted by them.
a1617 P. Baynes Comm. Ephes. (1634) 244 Many..taste their pottage, like Esau, better than their birthright.
1624 W. Bedell Copies Certaine Lett. iv. 81 A more sensible proofe how the Pope tastes these Titles.
1751 Earl of Chatham Lett. to Nephew (1804) ii. 6 I hope you love and taste those authors [Homer and Vergil] particularly.
1768 Earl Hardwicke Let. 17 May The king seemed to taste the Duke of Grafton, and commended his parts.
1791 J. Boswell Life Johnson anno 1775 I. 471 If I wondered at Johnson's not tasting the works of Mason and Gray, still more have I wondered at their not tasting his works.
1805 M. Trench Remains (1862) 170 Mad. de Sévigné, whom for the first time I really taste and admire.
1879 ‘G. Eliot’ Theophrastus Such i. 10 The work..I am told is much tasted in a Cherokee translation.
1896 ‘I. Maclaren’ Kate Carnegie 33 The story was much tasted by our guard's admirers.
9. † c. transitive. To savour of. Scottish. Obsolete.
a. intransitive. Of a substance: To have a taste of a specified or implied kind; to produce a certain taste in the mouth; to have a taste or flavour of.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > taste and flavour > [verb (intransitive)] > have a taste
smatchc1000
brykec1315
smack1398
smake14..
savourc1405
taragec1407
taste1552
relish1566
eat1607
drink1617
seasona1625
bite1713
the world > relative properties > relationship > similarity > be similar [verb (intransitive)] > have a touch, tinge, or suggestion of > taste or savour of
taste1552
1552 R. Huloet Abcedarium Anglico Latinum Tastyng or castynge an yll taste or sauoure, virosus.
1615 G. Sandys Relation of Journey 66 Blacke as soote and tasting not much unlike it.
1653 I. Walton Compl. Angler iii. 73 It looks well, and tastes well. View more context for this quotation
1655 T. Fuller Church-hist. Brit. i. 13 This new Wine, put into old Vessels, did in after-Ages taste of the Caske.
1681 J. Chetham Angler's Vade Mecum xxxix. 168 It will make him tast sowr.
1745 J. Swift Direct. to Servants 42 If your Butter..tastes of Brass, it is your Master's Fault.
1871 C. S. Calverley Verses & Transl. (ed. 4) 95 Let him drink deeply.., nor grumble if it tasteth of the cork.
1910 N.E.D. at Taste Mod. The milk has begun to turn; it tastes rather sour.
b. figurative. To produce a particular effect upon the mind or feelings; to partake of the nature, character, or quality of; to savour of.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > relationship > similarity > be similar [verb (intransitive)] > have a touch, tinge, or suggestion of
soundc1340
smatchc1380
soundc1380
savourc1454
smell1526
taste1559
relish1577
smacka1616
reflect1617
seasona1625
tincture1787
twang1821
the world > existence and causation > existence > intrinsicality or inherence > introduction or bringing in > introduce or bring something in [verb (transitive)] > infuse > be imbued with
catch1533
taste1559
1559 W. Cuningham Cosmogr. Glasse 5 All other artes (whiche taste of the Mathematicalles).
c1575 J. Hooker Life Sir P. Carew (1857) 19 His behaviour tasting after the French manner.
1623 W. Shakespeare & J. Fletcher Henry VIII ii. iii. 90 How tasts it? Is it bitter? View more context for this quotation
1627 R. Sanderson Ten Serm. 381 This vngodly king Ahab; see how all that come of him, taste of him.
a1861 A. H. Clough Dipsychus i. i, in Lett. & Remains (1865) 153 The place, the air Tastes of the nearer north.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > taste and flavour > [verb (transitive)] > taste of something
smakec1315
smatchc1380
taste1596
1596 J. Dalrymple tr. J. Leslie Hist. Scotl. (1895) II. 417 Ony thing..of him said that taisted not Jll talk, haitred, and Jnvie.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > taste and flavour > savouriness > impart a pleasant taste [verb (transitive)]
relish1582
tastea1586
the mind > emotion > pleasure > quality of being pleasant or pleasurable > please or give pleasure to [verb (transitive)]
i-quemec893
ywortheOE
queemeOE
likeOE
likeOE
paya1200
gamec1225
lustc1230
apaya1250
savoura1300
feastc1300
comfort1303
glew1303
pleasec1350
ticklec1386
feedc1400
agreea1413
agreec1425
emplessc1450
gree1468
applease1470
complaire1477
enjoy1485
warm1526
to claw the ears1549
content1552
pleasure1556
oblect?1567
relish1567
gratify1569
sweeta1575
promerit1582
tinkle1582
tastea1586
aggrate1590
gratulatea1592
greeta1592
grace1595
arride1600
complease1604
honey1604
agrade1611
oblectate1611
oblige1652
placentiate1694
flatter1695
to shine up to1882
fancy-
a1586 Sir P. Sidney Arcadia (1593) iii. sig. Ff6 Bitter griefe tastes me best paine is my ease.
1624 T. Heywood Γυναικεῖον viii. 383 When wholesome foode would not tast their mouths, they devised sweet meates to realish their pallats.
1631 T. Heywood Fair Maid of West: 1st Pt. iii. 34 Call for what wine best tasts you.
1672 A. Marvell Rehearsal Transpros'd i. 184 Nothing less will taste to your palate.
11. To impart a taste or flavour to; to flavour; also figurative. Now rare.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > food > food manufacture and preparation > preparation for table or cooking > seasoning > season [verb (transitive)]
savourc1384
seasonc1400
condimentc1420
powder?c1425
saucea1438
pointa1450
tastea1577
palate1610
scent1655
condite1657
zest1705
kitchen1720
dress1795
flavour1830
to zing up1953
zap1979
the world > existence and causation > existence > intrinsicality or inherence > introduction or bringing in > introduce or bring something in [verb (transitive)] > infuse
sheda1325
bedew1340
distil1393
informa1398
transfusec1425
pourc1451
infudea1500
infuse1526
tan1530
colour1536
suck1549
imbrue1565
dewc1572
inspire1576
steep1603
infect1605
imbreathe1609
impregn1652
transfund1670
influence1691
bleed1866
render1885
taste1904
a1577 G. Gascoigne Hundred Flowers in Wks. (1587) 40 A salad or a sauce, to tast your cates withall.
1616 B. Jonson Every Man in his Humor (rev. ed.) i. v, in Wks. I. 18 We will haue a bunch of redish, and salt, to tast our wine.
1904 J. Wells Life J. H. Wilson xxi. 293 All his teachings were coloured and tasted by the channel through which they ran.
12. to taste of: a construction used in several senses, sometimes simply = taste, sometimes = take a taste of, eat or drink a little of. So to taste on (now dialect), †to taste to (obsolete).In some cases, as in quots. 1526 at sense 12b and 1526 at sense 12c, perhaps a literalism of translation (not found in the Vulgate, Wyclif, or Rhemish New Testament); but see of prep. 39c, and cf. take a taste of.† d. = 3b. Obsolete.
a. To make trial of by tasting, to try the taste of; = 6. Also figurative. archaic.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > taste and flavour > [verb (intransitive)] > test by tasting
provec1390
to taste ofa1400
saya1450
taste1600
the world > physical sensation > taste and flavour > [verb (transitive)] > test by tasting
assay1377
tastea1400
to taste ofa1400
saya1450
cun1493
essay1598
palate1609
pree1680
flavour1823
taste-test1979
a1400–50 Alexander 2074 Þan pullis him vp þe proude kyng & on þe pepire tastis.
1493 Chastysing Goddes Chyldern (de Worde) iii. sig. Aiv/1 It [sc. the bee] goth & tasteth ayen of many fair floures.
a1557 J. Cheke tr. Gospel St. Matthew (1843) xxvii. 34 When he had taasted on it [ Tindale therof], he wold not drink.
1606 Inscription on Church Bell, St. Mary Magdalene Church, Walkeringham, Notts. in southwellchurches.nottingham.ac.uk (accessed 29 Jan. 2019) I sweetly tolling men do call to taste on meats that feeds the sole.
1807 R. Southey Lett. from Eng. II. 196 We tasted of this bread: it was dry, but not unpleasant.
1848 J. H. Newman Loss & Gain ii. ii. 154 I taste of every thing, I depend on nothing.
b. To eat or drink only a little of; with negative, not to eat or drink at all; = 7. Also figurative.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > food > consumption of food or drink > eating > processes or manners of eating > eat via specific process [verb (transitive)] > eat small amounts
tastea1400
picklea1522
to taste of1607
pingle1903
the world > action or operation > endeavour > trial or experiment > make experiment of or with [verb (transitive)]
afondc1300
assailc1300
found1340
assay1377
taste1382
experiment1524
experience1541
try1545
attempt1563
practise1632
explore1667
experimentate1670
to taste of1700
to try out1888
to try (something)(on) for size1979
fand-
the world > action or operation > operation upon something > have effect on [verb (transitive)] > be subjected to or undergo an action > undergo or experience > slightly
smell1553
to taste of1700
a1400 K. Alis. (Bodl.) 5070 The kyng..forbed..Þat non ne shulde..Of þe water drynk ne taste.
1526 Bible (Tyndale) Luke xiv. f. cj None of those men which were bidden, shall tast of my supper [μου τοῦ δείπνου].
c1540 (?a1400) Destr. Troy 6427 The tydis not to taste of þis triet meite.
1607 E. Topsell Hist. Foure-footed Beastes 23 Asses are subiect to madnesse when they haue tasted of certaine herbes growing neer Potnias.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Henry VI, Pt. 1 (1623) ii. iii. 79 I craue..that we may Taste of your Wine. View more context for this quotation
1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost ix. 651 Of this Tree we may not taste nor touch. View more context for this quotation
1700 J. Dryden To my Kinsman J. Driden in Fables 95 For Age but tastes of Pleasures, Youth devours.
1765 T. Hutchinson Hist. Colony Massachusets-Bay, 1628–91 (ed. 2) ii. 232 They had but tasted of the words..of the gentlemen.
c. To have experience or knowledge of; to feel, experience; = 3.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > operation upon something > have effect on [verb (transitive)] > be subjected to or undergo an action > undergo or experience
feelOE
seeOE
passa1325
provec1330
attastec1374
wielda1375
tastec1380
sufferc1390
to pass through ——c1400
expert?a1475
traverse1477
experiment1484
savour1509
to taste of1526
to go through ——1535
sustain1575
approve1578
try1578
experience1588
undergo1600
to run through ——1602
pree1806
the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > knowledge, what is known > experience > have experience of [verb (intransitive)] > slightly
to taste of1526
smell1553
1526 Bible (Tyndale) Matt. xvi. f. xxiijv Some there be a monge them that here stonde, whych shall nott taste of deeth [οὐ μὴ γεύσωνται θανάτου], tyll they shall [etc.].
1552 H. Latimer Serm. 4th Sunday Epiph. (1584) 315 b He himself hath tasted of al trouble.
a1561 G. Cavendish Metrical Visions (1980) 720 I ame tastyng on the payn.
a1627 T. Middleton & W. Rowley Old Law (1656) ii. 28 So contentedly, You cannot think unlesse you tasted ont.
1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost ix. 476 Hope here to taste Of pleasure. View more context for this quotation
1753 T. Gray Hymn to Adversity in Six Poems 24 The Proud are taught to taste of pain.
1832 H. Martineau Ireland v. 75 Wherever the population had tasted of oppression.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > sexual relations > sexual activity > engage in sexual activity with [verb (transitive)] > have sexual intercourse with
mingeOE
haveOE
knowc1175
ofliec1275
to lie with (or by)a1300
knowledgec1300
meetc1330
beliea1350
yknowc1350
touchc1384
deala1387
dightc1386
usea1387
takec1390
commona1400
to meet witha1400
servea1400
occupy?a1475
engender1483
jangle1488
to be busy with1525
to come in1530
visitc1540
niggle1567
mow1568
to mix one's thigh with1593
do1594
grind1598
pepper1600
yark1600
tumble1603
to taste of1607
compressc1611
jumble1611
mix?1614
consort?1615
tastea1616
bumfiddle1630
ingressa1631
sheet1637
carnal1643
night-work1654
bump1669
bumble1680
frig?c1680
fuck1707
stick1707
screw1719
soil1722
to do over1730
shag1770
hump1785
subagitatec1830
diddle1879
to give (someone) onec1882
charver1889
fuckeec1890
plugc1890
dick1892
to make a baby1911
to know (a person) in the biblical sense1912
jazz1920
rock1922
yentz1924
roll1926
to make love1927
shtupa1934
to give (or get) a tumble1934
shack1935
bang1937
to have it off1937
rump1937
tom1949
to hop into bed (with)1951
ball1955
to make it1957
plank1958
score1960
naughty1961
pull1965
pleasurea1967
to have away1968
to have off1968
dork1970
shaft1970
bonk1975
knob1984
boink1985
fand-
1607 T. Middleton Revengers Trag. ii. sig. D4v I do embrace this season for the fittest To tast of that yong Lady.
Categories »
e. See 9a, 9b.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1910; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
<
n.1c1330
n.21847
v.c1290- grand osage
- grand panjandrum
- grand pas
- grand pas classique
- grand pas d'action
- grand pas de deux
- grand passion
- grand paunch
- grand penitentiary
- grand pensionary
- grand piano
- grand pianoforte
- grand prior
- grand priory
- grand prix
- grand prix de paris
- grand prix de rome
- grand prix race
- grand prize
- grand quarter
- grand quartering
- grand referendary
- grand relief
- grand remonstrance
- grand round