smatch

English

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”).

Noun

smatch (plural smatches)

1. (obsolete) A smack or taste.
2. (obsolete) A trace quantity; a smattering or smidgeon.
   • 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)]:

     Thy life hath had some smatch of honour in it

Verb

smatch (third-person singular simple present smatches, present participle smatching, simple past and past participle smatched)

1. (transitive, intransitive, obsolete) To have a taste; to taste (something).
2. (transitive, intransitive, obsolete) To have a feeling; to smack (of something).
   • 1578, John Banister, The Historie of Man, from the most approved Authorities in this Present Age:

     Allowing his description therein to retain and smatche of veritie

References

• “smatch”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.

Anagrams

• Maths C