Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[BMO]

It means to know and to taste. Do you know how these two are related in the word sapere?

Thanks a lot.

[CP]

My Latin is pretty rusty, but I did recall that sapio means I know and sapiens is the present participle. Homo sapiens means roughly knowing man. A sapiens in Latin would be a knowledgeable man; survives today in French and English as savant.

From an online Latin dictionary (where the lead entry gives the word forms in this order: first person singular present tense, infinitive, first person singular perfect tense):

sapio sapere sapivi or sapii (1) [to taste]; with acc. [to taste or smell of]. (2) [to have taste , be able to taste]. (3) mentally, [to discern, be sensible, be wise, think]. Hence partic. sapiens -entis, [wise, sensible, judicious]; as subst., [a sensible, judicious person]; also [wise man, philosopher, sage]. Adv. sapienter.
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You live a new life for every new language you speak. -Czech proverb

[BMO]

Thank you so much.

bmo

[LucentShade]

The Spanish version of the word, saber, also means to know and to taste.

[BMO]

Thanks. I heard Portuguese and Italian also mean to know and to taste. Do you know the spelling for them? Italian may also be sapere.

bmo

[CP]

Yes, and I think sabroso means tasty in Spanish, while sabes means you know, if I'm not mistaken. (I took French in school, not Spanish, but a lot of people speak Spanish in Southern California, so everyone knows a little.)

Now that I think of it, we have savor and savory, referring to flavor and taste, as well as savant and savvy, referring to knowledge, not to mention savoir faire, stolen directly from the French, for know-how. There are probably lots of others.
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You live a new life for every new language you speak. -Czech proverb

[BMO]

Thanks, CP.

bmo

[MrPedantic]

Cf. the Greek "sophos", meaning "wise" (as in "philosophy").

MrP