smack

Where does the word "smack" come from? It comes from Scandinavian smakka, and was adopted directly into English (1300s).

Smack’s story begins in Scandinavian: smakka meant “to taste, to strike sharply.” The 'taste' sense survives in 'smacks of'. It reached English by 1300s as smack. Settled as the English word for a sharp slap or a distinctive taste. Today, smack means a sharp slap, a loud kiss, or a slight but distinctive taste of something.

1. Stage 1 · Scandinavian · medieval smakka "to taste, to strike sharply", the 'taste' sense survives in 'smacks of'.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1300s smack "a sharp slap, or a distinctive taste", settled as the English word for a sharp slap or a distinctive taste.