taste

英 [teɪst]美 [test]
  • n. 味道；品味；审美
  • vt. 尝；体验
  • vi. 尝起来；有…的味道
  • n. (Taste)人名；(法)塔斯特
CET4 TEM4 考研 TOEFL CET6 中高频词 基本词汇

中文词源

taste 品尝，味道，滋味

来自拉丁语 tangere,接触，触摸，-st,过去分词反复格，词源同 tangent,tax.引申词义品尝，引 申词义味道，滋味等。

英文词源

taste
taste: [13] The origins of taste are not entirely clear, but what does seem certain is that it is connected in some way with Latin tangere ‘touch’; indeed it was originally used for ‘touch’ in English (‘With that finger he will it taste if it is rightly wrought’, St Michael 1290), and its French relative tâter denotes ‘feel’. It was once generally supposed that it came from Latin taxāre ‘feel, assess’ (source of English tax), which was derived from tangere.

The theory is that taxāre produced a Vulgar Latin derivative *taxitāre, which turned into tastāre – whence Old French taster, and eventually English taste. Another theory has it, however, that *tastāre was a blend of tangere with Latin gustāre ‘taste’ (source of English gusto).
=> tangent, tangible
taste (v.)
c. 1300, "to touch, to handle," from Old French taster "to taste, sample by mouth; enjoy" (13c.), earlier "to feel, touch, pat, stroke" (12c., Modern French tâter), from Vulgar Latin *tastare, apparently an alteration (perhaps by influence of gustare) of taxtare, a frequentative form of Latin taxare "evaluate, handle" (see tax (v.)). Meaning "to take a little food or drink" is from c. 1300; that of "to perceive by sense of taste" is recorded from mid-14c. Of substances, "to have a certain taste or flavor," it is attested from 1550s (replaced native smack (v.3) in this sense). For another PIE root in this sense, see gusto.
The Hindus recognized six principal varieties of taste with sixty-three possible mixtures ... the Greeks eight .... These included the four that are now regarded as fundamental, namely 'sweet,' 'bitter,' 'acid,' 'salt.' ... The others were 'pungent' (Gk. drimys, Skt. katuka-), 'astringent' (Gk. stryphnos, Skt. kasaya-), and, for the Greeks, 'rough, harsh' (austeros), 'oily, greasy' (liparos), with the occasional addition of 'winy' (oinodes). [Buck]
Sense of "to know by experience" is from 1520s. Related: Tasted; tasting. Taste buds is from 1879; also taste goblets.
taste (n.)
early 14c., "act of tasting," from Old French tast "sense of touch" (Modern French tât), from taster (see taste (v.)). From late 14c. as "a small portion given;" also "faculty or sense by which the flavor of a thing is discerned;" also "savor, sapidity, flavor."

Meaning "aesthetic judgment, faculty of discerning and appreciating what is excellent" is first attested 1670s (compare French goût, German geschmack, Russian vkus, etc.).
Of all the five senses, 'taste' is the one most closely associated with fine discrimination, hence the familiar secondary uses of words for 'taste, good taste' with reference to aesthetic appreciation. [Buck]


Taste is active, deciding, choosing, changing, arranging, etc.; sensibility is passive, the power to feel, susceptibility of impression, as from the beautiful. [Century Dictionary]

双语例句

1. Bob Marley provided them with their first taste of Reggae music.
鲍勃·马利让他们首次接触到了雷盖音乐。
来自柯林斯例句
2. The taste of blood in her throat made her want to vomit.
她嗓子里的血腥味让她直恶心。
来自柯林斯例句
3. Oxford's social circle was far too liberal for her taste.
牛津的社交圈过于开放,不合她的胃口.
来自柯林斯例句
4. The plant has an unpleasant odour and an acrid taste.
这种植物闻着刺鼻，吃着辣口。
来自柯林斯例句
5. The boom of the 1980s led to a taste for petrol-guzzling cars.
20世纪80年代的经济繁荣使人们喜欢上高油耗的汽车。
来自柯林斯例句