taste: Meaning and Definition of

taste

Pronunciation: (tāst), [key]
— v., n. tast•ed, tast•ing,
—v.t.
  1. to try or test the flavor or quality of (something) by taking some into the mouth: to taste food.
  2. to eat or drink a little of: She barely tasted her dinner.
  3. to eat or drink (often used in negative constructions): He hadn't tasted food for three days.
  4. to perceive or distinguish the flavor of: to taste the wine in a sauce.
  5. to have or get experience, esp. a slight experience: these young men who had only begun to taste life.
  6. to perceive in any way.
  7. to enjoy or appreciate.
    1. to examine by touch; feel.
    2. to test or try.
  8. See(def. 22).
—v.i.
  1. to try the flavor or quality of something.
  2. to eat or drink a little (usually fol. by of&hasp;): She tasted of the cake.
  3. to perceive or distinguish the flavor of anything.
  4. to have experience of something, however limited or slight.
  5. to have a particular flavor (often fol. by of&hasp;): The coffee tastes bitter. The bread tastes of mold.
  6. to smack or savor (usually fol. by of&hasp;): The story tastes of treason.
—n.
  1. the act of tasting food or drink.
  2. the sense by which the flavor or savor of things is perceived when they are brought into contact with the tongue.
  3. the sensation or quality as perceived by this sense; flavor.
  4. a small quantity tasted; a morsel, bit, or sip.
  5. a relish, liking, or partiality for something: a taste for music.
  6. the sense of what is fitting, harmonious, or beautiful; the perception and enjoyment of what constitutes excellence in the fine arts, literature, fashion, etc.
  7. the sense of what is seemly, polite, tactful, etc., to say or do in a given social situation.
  8. one's personal attitude or reaction toward an aesthetic phenomenon or social situation, regarded as either good or bad.
  9. the ideas of aesthetic excellence or of aesthetically valid forms prevailing in a culture or personal to an individual: a sample of Victorian taste; I consulted only my own taste in decorating this room.
  10. the formal idiom preferred by a certain artist or culture; style; manner: a façade in the Baroque taste.
  11. a slight experience or a sample of something: a taste of adventure.
  12. a feeling or sensation resulting from an experience: a compromise that left a bad taste in her mouth.
  13. test or trial.
  14. agreeable or pleasing to one: He couldn't find any ties that were completely to his taste.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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