Smacken

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Archaic verb meaning to have a particular taste or flavour ; to hit someone sharply with an open hand or a flat object
2. An old word for giving off a distinct flavour when tasted ; a sharp blow delivered with the palm or a flat implement
3. Dated sense of having a noticeable taste or savour ; a verb describing a quick, flat strike with the hand or a flat tool

Etymology: The sense of "smack" meaning taste or flavour is older than its more familiar use for a slap or a kiss. The verb "smacken" carries that taste sense, and it is closely related to the Dutch and Low German "smaken", which also meant to taste or relish food. The link to the noisy lip-smack is probably how the taste sense arose, since smacking the lips is what people do when savouring something, though this is a likely explanation rather than a certainty. The flavour sense survives today in the phrase "smack of", meaning to have a trace of some quality, as in a plan that smacks of desperation. The meaning has moved from the taste itself to a faintly detectable quality, much as a flavour lingers on the tongue after the food is gone.

Synonyms: smack, slap, strike, whack