Meanings
foretaste1
plural foretastes
- A taste beforehand.
- A sample taken in anticipation; an experience undergone in advance.
About two weeks ago I had another foretaste of success and immediately on it a veritable disaster.
1923, Ernest Bramah [pseudonym; Ernest Brammah Smith], “(please specify the page)”, in The Eyes of Max Carrados, London: Grant Richards, →OCLC1 more example
When she sang in the kirk, folk have told me that they had a foretaste of the musick of the New Jerusalem, and when she came in by the village of Caulds old men stottered to their doors to look at her.
1902, John Buchan, The Outgoing of the Tide
foretaste2
present singular third person foretastes · participle present foretasting · participle past foretasted · past foretasted
- transitiveTo taste beforehand.
- transitiveTo taste before possession; have previous experience of; enjoy by anticipation.
- transitiveTo taste before another.
[...] foretast'd fruit, Profan'd first by the serpent [...]
1667, John Milton, Paradise lost
Synonyms & antonyms
Origin
foretaste · noun
- Middle Englishfortaste
- Englishforetaste
From Middle English fortaste, equivalent to fore- + taste (noun).
More words from Middle English
Full word history & related roots →foretaste · verb
- Middle Englishfortasten
- Englishforetaste
From Middle English fortasten, equivalent to fore- + taste (verb).
More words from Middle English
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian предвкусване, предвкусвам
- предвкусване (predvkusvane)taste taken in advance
- предвкусвам (predvkusvam)to taste beforehand
- предвкусвам (predvkusvam)to enjoy by anticipation
Danish forsmag
- forsmagtaste taken in advance
Dutch voorproefje
- voorproefjetaste taken in advance
Finnish esimaku, maistaa etukäteen
- esimakutaste taken in advance
- maistaa etukäteento taste beforehand
French avant-goût
- avant-goûttaste taken in advance
German Vorgeschmack
- Vorgeschmacktaste taken in advance
Hungarian ízelítő
- ízelítőtaste taken in advance
Italian presentimento, pregustazione
- presentimentotaste taken in advance
- pregustazionetaste taken in advance
- prelibazionetaste taken in advance
Norwegian Bokmål forsmak
- forsmaktaste taken in advance
Polish przedsmak
- przedsmaktaste taken in advance
Portuguese prelibar
- prelibarto enjoy by anticipation
Russian предвкуше́ние
- предвкуше́ние (predvkušénije)taste taken in advance
Swedish försmak
- försmaktaste taken in advance
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
foretaste. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/foretaste
“foretaste.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/foretaste. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “foretaste,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/foretaste.
Source: foretaste on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.