smack

Meanings

Noun

• A distinct flavor, especially if slight.
• A slight trace of something; a smattering.
• Heroin.
• A form of fried potato; a scallop.
• A small sailing vessel, commonly rigged as a sloop, used chiefly in the coasting and fishing trade and often called a fishing smack
• A group of jellyfish.
• A sharp blow; a slap. See also: spank.
• The sound of a loud kiss.
• A quick, sharp noise, as of the lips when suddenly separated, or of a whip.

Verb

• To get the flavor of.
• To have a particular taste; used with of.
• To indicate or suggest something; used with of.
• To slap or hit someone.
• To make a smacking sound.
• (especially outside of North America) To strike a child (usually on the buttocks) as a form of discipline. (normal U.S and Canadian term spank)
• To wetly separate the lips, making a noise, after tasting something or in expectation of a treat.
• To kiss with a close compression of the lips, so as to make a sound when they separate.

Adverb

• As if with a smack or slap; smartly; sharply.

Origin

• From Middle English smac, smak, smacke, from Old English smæc, smæċċ, from Proto-Germanic *smakkuz, from Proto-Indo-European *smegʰ-, *smeg-. Cognate with English dialectal smatch, Scots smak ("scent, smell, taste, flavour"), Saterland Frisian Smoak ("taste"), West Frisian smaak ("taste"), Dutch smaak ("taste"), German Schmack, Geschmack, Swedish and Norwegian smak ("taste"), Norwegian smekke . Akin to Old English smæċċan ("to taste, smack"). More at smake, smatch.
• From Middle Low German smack (Low German Schmacke ("small ship")) or Dutch smak, perhaps ultimately related to smakken, imitative of the sails' noise.
• From Middle Dutch smacken, of imitative origin.
• Akin to German schmatzen ("eat noisily"), Dutch smakken ("to fling down"), Plautdietsch schmaksen ("to smack the lips"), regional German schmacken, Schmackes (compare Swedish smak ("slap"), Middle Low German smacken, the first part of Saterland Frisian smakmuulje ("smack")).