Degusting

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Sampling food or drink with careful attention to its flavor and quality
2. Enjoying the taste of a dish or beverage by eating or drinking it slowly and thoughtfully
3. Tasting something in order to appreciate its flavors, often as a connoisseur would do

Etymology: "Degusting" is the present participle of "degust," a verb meaning to taste or sample food and drink with careful attention. The verb came into English from French "déguster," which in turn comes from Latin "degustare," meaning to taste or try out, built from "de-" (here meaning "thoroughly") and "gustare," to taste. The Latin root also gave English "gust" in its older sense of tasting, and "gusto" for relish. Degust is a doublet of "degustate," meaning that both words descend from the same Latin source but reached English by different routes, one through French and one more directly through Latin. The two forms settled into slightly different uses: "degustate" tends to appear in more formal or learned contexts, while "degust" carries a more everyday air of sampling wine or dishes.

Synonyms: tasting, sampling