smell and taste

[Seth Jerchower]

In Italian the asymmetries are quite abbondant and varied:

"Taste"
Adj. phrases:
"it tastes (good)"
        1a.    è gustoso
                ([it] is tasty)
        1b.    è saporito
                ([it] is tasty)

constructs with/from theme "sapere" (< Lat. SAPIO, originally "to
perceive";, nom. SAPOR, "perception") "to know" (tr/intr), "to taste"
(intr.):
1c.    sa di buono/di cattivo
        ([it] tastes of good/of bad)
1d.    ha un buon/cattivo sapore
        ([it] has a good/bad taste)

2a.    assaggio (tr.)
        ([I] taste)
2b.    provo (tr.)
        ([I] taste/try)


"Smell"
3.    puzza (intr.)
        ([it] smells (bad)/stinks)

4.    puzzolente (adj, with active participle suffix)
       "smelly"

5.    puzzo (n.) = (bad) smell, stench, malodor...

"It smells good"
6.    è profumato
       ([it] is perfumed)

"What a great smell/aroma" (said of food, flowers, perfume, etc.)
7. "Che bel profumo"

Finally, the transitive verb "to smell":
8.    Sentire
(the same verb is also means "to listen to", and is more frequently used
than
the more specific "udire").

SJ

"Veggio fortuna al porto, e stanco omai
il mio nocchier, e rotte arbore e sarte,
e i lumi bei che mirar soglio, spenti."