Taste
/teɪst/noun
The sensation or perception of flavor in the mouth, or a person's preference for certain styles, qualities, or things.
Did you know?English taste and tactile are distant cousins: both ultimately trace back to a Proto-Indo-European root meaning “to touch” or “handle,” showing that flavor began as a physical test before becoming a refined sense.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*tag-
“to touch, handle”
Latin
Latin
tangere
“to touch”
Latin
Latin
tastāre
“to touch, try, test”
Old French
Old French
taster
“to taste, sample”
Middle English
English
tasten
“to taste, sample by the mouth”
Modern English
English
taste
“the sense or act of perceiving flavor; discernment or preference”