1. To distinguish the flavor of by taking into the mouth.
2. To eat or drink a small quantity of.
3. To partake of, especially for the first time; experience.
4. To perceive as if by the sense of taste.
5. Archaic. To appreciate or enjoy.

1. To distinguish flavors in the mouth.
2. To have a distinct flavor: The stew tastes salty.
3. To eat or drink a small amount.
4. To have experience or enjoyment; partake: tasted of the life of the very rich.

1. 1. The sense that distinguishes the sweet, sour, salty, and bitter qualities of dissolved substances in contact with the taste buds on the tongue.
   2. This sense in combination with the senses of smell and touch, which together receive a sensation of a substance in the mouth.
2. 1. The sensation of sweet, sour, salty, or bitter qualities produced by or as if by a substance placed in the mouth.
   2. The unified sensation produced by any of these qualities plus a distinct smell and texture; flavor.
   3. A distinctive perception as if by the sense of taste: an experience that left a bad taste in my mouth.
3. The act of tasting.
4. A small quantity eaten or tasted.
5. A limited or first experience; a sample: "Thousands entered the war, got just a taste of it, and then stepped out" (Mark Twain).
6. A personal preference or liking: a taste for adventure.
7. 1. The faculty of discerning what is aesthetically excellent or appropriate.
   2. A manner indicative of the quality of such discernment: a room furnished with superb taste.
8. 1. The sense of what is proper, seemly, or least likely to give offense in a given social situation.
   2. A manner indicative of the quality of this sense.
9. Obsolete. The act of testing; trial.

[Middle English tasten, to touch, taste, from Old French taster, from Vulgar Latin *tastāre, probably alteration of Latin *taxāre, probably frequentative of tangere, to touch.]

SYNONYMS   taste, flavor, relish, savor, tang. These nouns denote a quality that can be perceived by the taste buds on the tongue: the salty taste of anchovies; the pungent flavor of garlic; the zesty relish of the salsa; the savor of rich chocolate; the fresh tang of lemonade.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.