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Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

smatch en · NOUN

Etymology

From Middle English smacchen, smecchen (“to taste”), from Old English smæċċan (“to taste”), from Proto-West Germanic *smakkijan (“to taste”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *smeh₂g- (“to taste”). Cognate with West Frisian smeitse, smeitsje (“to taste”), Dutch smaken (“to taste”), German schmecken (“to taste”), Danish smage (“to taste”), Norwegian smake (“to taste”), Norwegian smak (“a taste”), Lithuanian smagù (“cheerful, enjoyable, pleasant”).

Meanings

  1. (obsolete) A smack or taste.
  2. (obsolete) A trace quantity; a smattering or smidgeon.
    • Thy life hath had some smatch of honour in it 1599 (first performance), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Iulius Cæsar”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, (please specify the scene number in lowercase Roman numerals)]:

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
smatches Number=Plur lexicographic

smatch en · VERB

Etymology

From Middle English smacchen, smecchen (“to taste”), from Old English smæċċan (“to taste”), from Proto-West Germanic *smakkijan (“to taste”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *smeh₂g- (“to taste”). Cognate with West Frisian smeitse, smeitsje (“to taste”), Dutch smaken (“to taste”), German schmecken (“to taste”), Danish smage (“to taste”), Norwegian smake (“to taste”), Norwegian smak (“a taste”), Lithuanian smagù (“cheerful, enjoyable, pleasant”).

Meanings

  1. (ambitransitive, obsolete) To have a taste; to taste (something).
  2. (ambitransitive, obsolete) To have a feeling; to smack (of something).
    • Allowing his description therein to retain and smatche of veritie 1578, John Banister, The Historie of Man, from the most approved Authorities in this Present Age:

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
smatched Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part lexicographic
smatched Tense=Past lexicographic
smatching Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part lexicographic
smatches Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres lexicographic