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relish

[rel-ish]
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noun
  1. liking or enjoyment of the taste of something.
  2. pleasurable appreciation of anything; liking: He has no relish for obscene jokes.
  3. Cookery.
    1. something savory or appetizing added to a meal, as pickles or olives.
    2. a sweet pickle made of various vegetables, usually chopped or minced.
    3. an appetizer or hors d'oeuvre.
  4. a pleasing or appetizing flavor.
  5. a pleasing or enjoyable quality.
  6. a taste or flavor.
  7. a smack, trace, or touch of something.
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verb (used with object)
  1. to take pleasure in; like; enjoy: I don't relish the long drive home.
  2. to make pleasing to the taste.
  3. to like the taste of.
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verb (used without object)
  1. to have taste or flavor.
  2. to be agreeable.
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Origin of relish

1520–30; alteration of Middle English reles aftertaste, scent < Old French, variant of relais remainder, that left behind; see release
Related formsrel·ish·a·ble, adjectiverel·ish·ing·ly, adverbself-rel·ish, nounun·rel·ish·a·ble, adjectiveun·rel·ished, adjectiveun·rel·ish·ing, adjective

Synonyms

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1, 2. gusto, zest. 2. inclination, partiality, predilection, preference. 3. condiment, appetizer. 6. savor. 8. appreciate.

Antonyms

1, 2. distaste, disfavor.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

gustozestenjoysavorpreferadmirecherishheartlovelikingtastefancybiasappetiteflavorpenchantdelectationpropensitylovingstomach

Examples from the Web for relish

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • She evidently did not relish his glib talk about the university.

  • The men did not relish the idea of quitting the spot; but, after some talk, they came into my plan.

    Ned Myers

    James Fenimore Cooper

  • My mother, who saw that I did not relish the asses' milk, put in a word for me.

  • The porter could hardly refrain, from smacking his lips with an air of relish as he said this.

    Henry Dunbar

    M. E. Braddon

  • She came running to me with a suggestion for economizing in the manufacture of the relish.

    Ruggles of Red Gap

    Harry Leon Wilson

British Dictionary definitions for relish

relish

verb (tr)
  1. to savour or enjoy (an experience) to the full
  2. to anticipate eagerly; look forward to
  3. to enjoy the taste or flavour of (food, etc); savour
  4. to give appetizing taste or flavour to (food), by or as if by the addition of pickles or spices
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noun
  1. liking or enjoyment, as of something eaten or experienced (esp in the phrase with relish)
  2. pleasurable anticipationhe didn't have much relish for the idea
  3. an appetizing or spicy food added to a main dish to enhance its flavour
  4. an appetizing taste or flavour
  5. a zestful trace or touchthere was a certain relish in all his writing
  6. music (in English lute, viol, and keyboard music of the 16th and 17th centuries) a trilling ornament, used esp at cadences
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Derived Formsrelishable, adjective

Word Origin

C16: from earlier reles aftertaste, from Old French: something remaining, from relaisser to leave behind; see release
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for relish

n.

1520s, "taste, flavor," alteration of reles "scent, taste, aftertaste," (c.1300), from Old French relais, reles, "something remaining, that which is left behind," from relaisser "to leave behind" (see release (v.)). Meaning "enjoyment of the taste or flavor of something" is attested from 1640s. Sense of "condiment, that which imparts flavor" is first recorded 1797. The stuff you put on hot dogs is a sweet green pickle relish.

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v.

1560s "give flavor to" (implied in relished), from relish (n.). The transferred sense of "to enjoy, take pleasure in" is from 1590s. Related: Relishing.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper