Gusto
/ˈɡʌs.toʊ/noun
Enthusiastic enjoyment or energetic willingness.
Did you know?English took gusto from Italian, where it meant ‘taste’ or ‘style,’ and Italian ultimately inherited it from Latin gustus, ‘a tasting’—the same root behind words about savoring and even judging by the senses.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*geus-
“to taste, to choose”
Latin
Latin
gustus
“a tasting; taste”
Vulgar Latin
VL
*gustare
“to taste”
Italian
Italian
gusto
“taste; style; pleasure”
17th Century
English
gusto
“taste; relish; zest”
Modern English
English
gusto
“enthusiastic enjoyment or energetic enthusiasm”