Palatability

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The degree to which something has a pleasant or agreeable taste or is considered acceptable to the senses
2. How pleasing or acceptable the flavor or overall sensory experience of something is perceived to be
3. The extent to which a substance's taste or characteristics are agreeable or satisfactory to consumption

Etymology: "Palatability" is a straightforward formation: English "palatable" with the suffix "-ability" attached. The base, "palatable," came from "palate," which in turn was borrowed into English from Old French "palat" and traces back to Latin "palātum," the roof of the mouth. That anatomical sense is the original root of the taste connection: the palate was the part of the mouth where taste was sensed, so anything pleasing to it became "palatable." The suffix has its own lineage. The "-able" ending came into English through Old French from Latin "-ābilis," meaning "able to be" something. The "-ability" ending comes from Latin "-abilitas" by way of Middle French "-abilité," and English adopted it as a noun-forming ending. Attaching it to "palatable" produces a noun describing the quality of being acceptable to the palate.

Synonyms: taste, flavor, appeal

Antonyms: unpalatability, disgust