smatch

From Middle English smacchen, smecchen (“to taste”), from Old English smæċċan (“to taste”), from Proto-Germanic *smakkōną, *smakōną, *smakkijaną (“to taste”), 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”), Lithuanian smagù (“cheerful, enjoyable, pleasant”).

smatch (plural smatches)

1. smack, taste
   • 1599, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Ivlivs Cæsar”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: Printed by Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act V, (please specify the scene number in lowercase Roman numerals)]:

     Thy life hath had some smatch of honour in it

2. tincture
3. trace, small quantity, smidge, smattering or smidgen

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

1. (intransitive) To have a taste, smack.
2. (transitive) To have a taste or sample of, smack of, taste.
   • 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

3. (obsolete) To smack.

• Maths C