bitteryoudaoicibaDictYouDict[bitter 词源字典]
bitter: [OE] Old English biter appears to have come from *bit-, the short-vowel version of *bīt-, source of bite. Its original meaning would thus have been ‘biting’, and although there do not seem to be any traces of this left in the historical record, the sense development to ‘acrid-tasting’ is fairly straightforward (compare the similar case of sharp).

It seems likely that the bitter of ‘bitter end’ comes from a different source altogether, although in its current meaning it appears to have been influenced by the adjective bitter. A bitter was originally a ‘turn of a cable round the bitts’, and a bitt was a ‘post on the deck of a ship for fastening cables to’. It is not clear where bitt came from, although it was probably originally a seafarer’s term from the north German coast, and it may be related to English boat.

Thus in the first instance ‘to the bitter end’ probably meant ‘to the very end, as far as it is possible to go’.

=> bite[bitter etymology, bitter origin, 英语词源]
savouryoudaoicibaDictYouDict
savour: [13] Latin sapere meant both ‘taste’ and ‘be wise’. In the latter sense it has given English sapient, but the former only was preserved in its derived noun sapor ‘taste’. This found its way into English via Old French savour. The derivative savoury [13] originally meant ‘pleasant-tasting’. Its modern use, contrasted with sweet, dates from the 17th century.
=> sapient
sweetyoudaoicibaDictYouDict
sweet: [OE] Sweet is part of an ancient family of ‘sweet’-words that goes back to the Indo- European base *swād-. From this evolved Greek hēdús ‘sweet’ (and also hēdoné ‘pleasure’, source of English hedonism [19]), Latin suāvis ‘sweet, pleasant’ (source of English suave) and suādēre ‘advise’ (source of English dissuade and persuade), and Sanskrit svādús ‘pleasanttasting’.

Its Germanic descendant was *swōtja-, which evolved into German süss, Dutch zoot, Swedish söt, Danish sød, and English sweet. The use of the noun sweet for a ‘piece of confectionery’ (presumably short for sweetmeat [15]) dates from the mid-19th century.

=> dissuade, hedonism, persuade, suave
vermouthyoudaoicibaDictYouDict
vermouth: [19] Vermouth gets its name from its being originally flavoured with wormwood, a bitter-tasting plant. The German term for the plant, and the drink, is wermut, a word of unknown origin, and this passed into English via French vermout. (The corresponding Old English name for the plant, incidentally, was wermōd, and this was later altered to wormwood from the use of the plant as a cure for intestinal worms.)
bitter (adj.)youdaoicibaDictYouDict
Old English biter "bitter, sharp, cutting; angry, embittered; cruel," from Proto-Germanic *bitras- (cognates: Old Saxon bittar, Old Norse bitr, Dutch bitter, Old High German bittar, German bitter, Gothic baitrs "bitter"), from PIE root *bheid- "to split" (cognates: Old English bitan "to bite;" see bite (v.)). Evidently the meaning drifted in prehistoric times from "biting, of pungent taste," to "acrid-tasting." Used figuratively in Old English of states of mind and words. Related: Bitterly.
blunt (n.)youdaoicibaDictYouDict
street slang for "marijuana and tobacco cigar" (easier to pass around, easier to disguise, and the stimulant in the tobacco enhances the high from the pot) surfaced c. 1993, but is said to have originated among Jamaicans in New York City in the early 1980s; from Phillies Blunt brand cigars; see blunt (adj.), which has been used of certain cigars since 19c.
Users say that the Phillies Blunt brand produces less harsh-tasting or sweeter smoke. The leaf wrapper of a Phillies Blunt is strong enough to hold together through the manipulations of making a blunt. Other brands fall apart. [http://nepenthes.lycaeum.org/Drugs/THC/Smoke/blunts.html]
degustation (n.)youdaoicibaDictYouDict
1650s, from Latin degustationem (nominative degustatio) "a tasting," noun of action from past participle stem of degustare "to take a taste from, sample," from de- (see de-) + gustare "to taste" (see gusto).
fusty (adj.)youdaoicibaDictYouDict
"stale-smelling," late 14c., from French fusté "fusty, tasting of the cask," from Old French fuste, fuist "wine cask," originally "stick, stave, wood" (Modern French fût), from Latin fustis "staff, stick of wood" (see fustigate). Related: Fustiness. Fustilugs was 17c. slang for "a woman of gross or corpulent habit" [OED], later generally in dialect for a big-boned person.
gamey (adj.)youdaoicibaDictYouDict
also gamy, 1844, "spirited, plucky," from game (n.) + -y (2). Meaning "tasting or smelling strongly" is from 1863.
gustation (n.)youdaoicibaDictYouDict
"act of tasting," 1590s, from Latin gustationem (nominative gustatio), noun of action from past participle stem of gustare "to taste, partake of, enjoy" (see gusto).
gustatory (adj.)youdaoicibaDictYouDict
"of or pertaining to tasting," 1680s, from Latin gustatus "sense of taste; a taste" (noun use of past participle of gustare "to taste;" see gusto) + -ory. Gustative is from 1610s.
gusto (n.)youdaoicibaDictYouDict
1620s, "very common from the beginning of the 19th c." [OED], from Italian gusto "taste," from Latin gustus "a tasting," related to gustare "to taste, take a little of," from PIE *gus-tu-, suffixed form of root *geus- "to taste, choose" (cognates: Sanskrit jus- "enjoy, be pleased," Avestan zaosa- "pleasure," Old Persian dauš- "enjoy"). The root forms words for "taste" in Greek and Latin, but its descendants in Germanic and Celtic mostly mean "try" or "choose" (such as Old English cosan, cesan, Modern English choose; Gothic kausjan "to test, to taste of," Old High German koston "try," German kosten "taste of"). The semantic development could have been in either direction. English first borrowed the French form, guste "organ of taste; sense of taste" (mid-15c.), but this became obsolete.
merry (adj.)youdaoicibaDictYouDict
Old English myrge "pleasing, agreeable, pleasant, sweet; pleasantly, melodiously," from Proto-Germanic *murgijaz, which probably originally meant "short-lasting," (compare Old High German murg "short," Gothic gamaurgjan "to shorten"), from PIE *mreghu- "short" (see brief (adj.)). The only exact cognate for meaning outside English was Middle Dutch mergelijc "joyful."

Connection to "pleasure" is likely via notion of "making time fly, that which makes the time seem to pass quickly" (compare German Kurzweil "pastime," literally "a short time;" Old Norse skemta "to amuse, entertain, amuse oneself," from skamt, neuter of skammr "short"). There also was a verbal form in Old English, myrgan "be merry, rejoice." For vowel evolution, see bury (v.).
Bot vchon enle we wolde were fyf, þe mo þe myryer. [c. 1300]
The word had much wider senses in Middle English, such as "pleasant-sounding" (of animal voices), "fine" (of weather), "handsome" (of dress), "pleasant-tasting" (of herbs). Merry-bout "an incident of sexual intercourse" was low slang from 1780. Merry-begot "illegitimate" (adj.), "bastard" (n.) is from 1785. Merrie England (now frequently satirical or ironic) is 14c. meri ingland, originally in a broader sense of "bountiful, prosperous." Merry Monday was a 16c. term for "the Monday before Shrove Tuesday" (Mardi Gras).
omo-youdaoicibaDictYouDict
before vowels om-, word-forming element meaning "raw, unripe," from Greek omo-, comb. form of omos "raw," from PIE root *om- "raw, sharp-tasting" (cognates: Sanskrit amah "raw, uncooked, unripe," Old Irish om, Welsh of).
palatable (adj.)youdaoicibaDictYouDict
1660s, "good-tasting," from palate + -able. Figurative use from 1680s. Related: Palatably; palatability.
RomanoyoudaoicibaDictYouDict
strong-tasting hard cheese, 1908, from Italian, literally "Roman" (see Roman).
salty (adj.)youdaoicibaDictYouDict
mid-15c., "tasting of salt, impregnated with salt," from salt (n.) + -y (2). Meaning "racy" is from 1866, from salt in the sense of "that which gives life or pungency" (1570s, originally of words or wit). Meaning "racy, sexy" is from 1866. U.S. slang sense of "angry, irritated" is first attested 1938 (probably from similar use with regard to sailors, "tough, aggressive," attested by 1920), especially in phrase jump salty "to unexpectedly become enraged." Related: Saltily.
taste (v.)youdaoicibaDictYouDict
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.)youdaoicibaDictYouDict
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]
chilliyoudaoicibaDictYouDict
"A small hot-tasting pod of a variety of capsicum, used in sauces, relishes, and spice powders. There are various forms with pods of differing size, colour, and strength of flavour", Early 17th century: from Spanish chile, from Nahuatl chilli.
acerbyoudaoicibaDictYouDict
"Another term for acerbic", Early 17th century: from Latin acerbus 'sour-tasting'.