tasting
UK: ˈteɪstɪŋ | US: ˈteɪstɪŋ
n. the act of perceiving or sampling flavors
n. a small portion of food or drink for evaluation
vt. present participle of "taste" (to experience flavor)
tasting = tast<to perceive flavor> + ing<noun/verb suffix>
- tast: Derived from Old French taster (to touch, try, taste), from Vulgar Latin tastare, likely of Germanic origin (compare Gothic tasts "touch"). Evolved to specifically mean "perceive flavor" in English.
- ing: A productive suffix in English forming present participles (e.g., "running") or gerunds (e.g., "swimming").
Etymology Origin:
The word traces back to the tactile sense of "touching" (Old French taster), later narrowing to the gustatory sense ("perceive flavor"). The suffix -ing dynamically adapts it as a noun (e.g., "wine tasting") or verb form ("She is tasting the soup"). The shift from touch to taste reflects sensory overlap in medieval Latin and Romance languages.
The chef insisted on tasting every dish before serving.
We attended a chocolate tasting event last weekend.
Tasting the soup, she added a pinch of salt.
The wine tasting revealed notes of cherry and oak.
His job involves tasting new recipes for quality control.