nếm

See also: Appendix:Variations of "nem"

Vietnamese

Etymology

From Proto-Vietic *ɗeːmʔ. Attested in Phật thuyết đại báo phụ mẫu ân trọng kinh (佛說大報父母恩重經) as (MC nyim) (modern SV: nhậm).

Pronunciation

Verb

nếm • (𫫞, )

  1. (transitive, especially cooking) to taste in order to check the flavor
    nếm canhto taste a broth and check its flavor
    nếm thử miếng bánhto taste a piece of bánh and check its flavor
  2. (transitive, figuratively) to experience something unpleasant
    nếm mùi cay đắngto be left with a bitter taste
    nếm đònto have a taste of the [cane, bat]; to be beaten

Usage notes

nếm is used of people who only want to know the taste of something using their tongues, for example of cooks. If those people are actually trying a food or a drink to get the full experience (smell, texture, moisture, firmness, etc.), use ăn thử or uống thử instead.

Synonyms

  • (to experience something unpleasant): nếm mùi

Derived terms

Anagrams