relish

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relish

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• rellish (obsolete)

Alteration of reles (“scent, taste, aftertaste”), from Old French relais, reles (“something remaining, that which is left behind”), from relaisser (“to leave behind”).

• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /ˈɹɛl.ɪʃ/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛlɪʃ

relish (countable and uncountable, plural relishes)

1. A pleasant taste.
   • 1667, John Milton, “Book IX”, in Paradise Lost. , London: [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker ; nd by Robert Boulter ; nd Matthias Walker, , →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: , London: Basil Montagu Pickering , 1873, →OCLC:

     Much pleasure we have lost while we abstained / From this delightful fruit, nor known till now / True relish, tasting.

   • 1748, [David Hume], “Essay II. Of the Origin of Ideas.”, in Philosophical Essays Concerning Human Understanding, London: A Millar, , →OCLC, page 25:

     The Caſe is the ſame if the Object, proper for exciting any Senſation, has never been apply'd to the Organ. A Laplander or Negro has no Notion of the reliſh of VVine.

2. Enjoyment; pleasure.
   • 1712 (date written), [Joseph] Addison, Cato, a Tragedy. , London: J Tonson, , published 1713, →OCLC, (please specify the page):

     When liberty is gone, / Life grows insipid, and has lost its relish.

3. A quality or characteristic tinge.
   • 1717, Alexander Pope, “A Discourse on Pastoral Poetry”, in The Works of Mr. Alexander Pope, volume I, London: W Bowyer, for Bernard Lintot, , →OCLC, page 5:

     [T]hat Air of piety to the Gods ſhould ſhine thro' the Poem, vvhich ſo viſibly appears in all the vvorks of antiquity: And it ought to preſerve ſome reliſh of the old vvay of vvriting; the connections ſhould be looeſ, the narrations and decſriptions ſhort, and the periods conciſe.

4. (followed by "for") A taste (for); liking (of); fondness.
   • 1785, William Cowper, letter to the Rev. John Newton (dated December 10, 1785)

     I have a relish for moderate praise, because it bids fair to be judicious.

   • 1849–1861, Thomas Babington Macaulay, chapter XI, in The History of England from the Accession of James the Second, volumes (please specify |volume=I to V), London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, →OCLC:

     One of the first acts which he was under the necessity of performing must have been painful to a man of so generous a nature, and of so keen a relish for whatever was excellent in arts and letters.

   • 2019 July 17, Talia Lavin, “When Non-Jews Wield Anti-Semitism as Political Shield”, in GQ‎:

     Jews and Israel are not synonymous; nor is support for Palestine synonymous with anti-Semitism; nor is questioning the orthodoxy of the Republican party, which the majority of us do with relish, an insult to Jewry.

5. A cooked or pickled sauce, usually made with vegetables or fruits, generally used as a condiment.
   • 1994 July 21, Faye Fiore, “Congress relishes another franking privilege: Meat lobby puts on the dog with exclusive luncheon for lawmakers – experts on pork”, in Los Angeles Times‎:

     Congressmen gleefully wolfed down every imaginable version of the hot dog – smoked kielbasas, jumbo grillers, Big & Juicy's, kosher dogs and spiced dogs – topped with every imaginable condiment – hot mustard, sweet mustard, jalapenos, spaghetti sauce, regular relish, corn relish, maple syrup salsa and the secret sauce of Rep. Jack Kingston (R-Ga.). ("If I told you the recipe," an aide explained, "I'd have to shoot you.")

6. In a wooden frame, the projection or shoulder at the side of, or around, a tenon, on a tenoned piece.
7. Something that is greatly liked or savoured.

• See also Thesaurus:seasoning

• India relish, Indian relish

relish (third-person singular simple present relishes, present participle relishing, simple past and past participle relished)

1. (transitive) To taste or eat with pleasure, to like the flavor of
2. (transitive) To take great pleasure in.

   He relishes their time together.

   I don't relish the idea of going out tonight.

   • c. 1602, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Troylus and Cressida”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies  (First Folio), London: Isaac Iaggard, and Ed Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene iii], column 2:

     Now Vlysses, I begin to relliſh thy aduice, / And I wil giue a taste of it forthwith / To Agamemnon, go we to him ſtraight:

   • 1706, Francis Atterbury, A sermon preached at the Guild-Hall Chapel, September 28, 1706:

     He knows how to prize his advantages, and to relish the honours which he enjoys.

   • 2022 December 15, Pat Cullen, quotee, “Tens of thousands of UK nurses go on strike in first such industrial action in NHS history”, in The Guardian‎:

     “Nurses are not relishing this,” she said. “We are acting with a very heavy heart. It has been a difficult decision taken by hundreds of thousands who begin to remove their labour from tomorrow in a bid to be heard, recognised and valued. […]

3. (obsolete, intransitive) To taste; to have a specified taste or flavour.
   • 1624, Democritus Junior [pseudonym; Robert Burton], The Anatomy of Melancholy: , 2nd edition, Oxford, Oxfordshire: John Lichfield and James Short, for Henry Cripps, →OCLC, partition II, section 3, member 3:

     honourable enterprises are accompanied with dangers and damages, as experience evinceth; they will make the rest of thy life relish the better.

   • c. 1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Winters Tale”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies  (First Folio), London: Isaac Iaggard, and Ed Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, :

     Had I been the finder-out of this secret, it would not have relish'd among my other discredits.

   • 1695, John Woodward, An essay toward a natural history of the earth:

     A theory, which, how much soever it may relish of wit and invention, hath no foundation in nature.

4. (transitive) To give a taste to; to cause to taste nice, to make appetizing.
   • 1717, John Dryden, “Book VIII. [The Story of Baucis and Philemon.]”, in Ovid’s Metamorphoses in Fifteen Books. , London: Jacob Tonson, , →OCLC, pages 285–286:

     By this the boiling Kettle had prepar'd, / And to the Table ſent, the ſmoaking Lard; / On which the eager Appetite they dine, / A ſav'ry Bit, that ſerv'd to relliſh Wine: [...]

5. (obsolete, intransitive) To give pleasure.

(take pleasure in): : appreciate, delight in, enjoy, like, revel in

• disrelish
• relishable
• relisher

• “relish”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.

• Hilers, Riehls, Rishel, hirsel

Borrowed from English relish.

• IPA^(key): /ʁe.liʃ/, /ʁɛ.liʃ/ ~ /ʁe.liʃ/
• (Quebec) IPA^(key): /ʁə.liʃ/

• Audio:

  (file)

relish f (uncountable)

1. relish (pickled sauce)