smekkur

Icelandic

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈsmɛhkʏr/
• Rhymes: -ɛhkʏr

Etymology 1

From Old Norse -smekkr (in e.g. afsmekkr, “taste”), likely borrowed from Old English smæcc, from Proto-Germanic *smakkuz, from Proto-Indo-European *smeg-. First attested in the 1800s. Cognate with English smack, smatch, and smake.

Noun

smekkur m (genitive singular smekks, nominative plural smekkir) (most often in the singular)

1. personal taste

   að (sínum) smekk ― to (one's) taste

   eftir (sínum) smekk (sometimes proscribed) ― to (one's) taste

   hafa smekk fyrir e-u ― have a taste for something

2. sense of taste

   Synonym: bragðskyn

3. the taste of something

   Synonyms: bragð, keimur

   fá smekk af e-u ― get a taste of something

Declension

Declension of smekkur (masculine)

	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	smekkur	smekkurinn	smekkir	smekkirnir
accusative	smekk	smekkinn	smekki	smekkina
dative	smekk	smekknum	smekkjum, smekkum	smekkjunum, smekkunum
genitive	smekks	smekksins	smekkja, smekka	smekkjanna, smekkanna

Derived terms

• hafa smekk fyrir (“to have a liking for, to have a taste for”)
• smekkmaður (“a man of good taste”)
• smekklegur (“tasteful, in good taste”)

Related terms

• smakka (“to taste”)

References

• Ásgeir Blöndal Magnússon (1989) Íslensk orðsifjabók, Reykjavík: Árni Magnússon Institute for Icelandic Studies, →ISBN (Available at Málið.is under the “Eldri orðabækur” tab.)
• Kristín Bjarnadóttir, editor (2002–2025), “smekkur”, in Beygingarlýsing íslensks nútímamáls [The Database of Modern Icelandic Inflection] (in Icelandic), Reykjavík: The Árni Magnússon Institute for Icelandic Studies
• Mörður Árnason (2019) Íslensk orðabók, 5th edition, Reykjavík: Forlagið
• “smekkur” in the Dictionary of Modern Icelandic (in Icelandic) and ISLEX (in the Nordic languages)
• Málfarsbankinn [Idiom bank]‎^[1] (in Icelandic), (Can we date this quote?): “Frekar er mælt með orðalaginu að sínum smekk en eftir sínum smekk. ― The phrase að sínum smekk is recommended over eftir sínum smekk.”

Etymology 2

A baby wearing a bib.

Borrowed from Danish smække, first attested in c. 1900.

Noun

smekkur m (genitive singular smekks, nominative plural smekkir)

1. bib (item of clothing for babies tied around their neck to protect their clothes from getting dirty when eating)

   Synonym: hlífðardúkur

   setja smekk á barnið ― put a bib on a baby

   vera með smekk ― have a bib on

Declension

Declension of smekkur (masculine)

	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	smekkur	smekkurinn	smekkir	smekkirnir
accusative	smekk	smekkinn	smekki	smekkina
dative	smekk	smekknum	smekkjum, smekkum	smekkjunum, smekkunum
genitive	smekks	smekksins	smekkja, smekka	smekkjanna, smekkanna

References

• Ásgeir Blöndal Magnússon (1989) Íslensk orðsifjabók, Reykjavík: Árni Magnússon Institute for Icelandic Studies, →ISBN (Available at Málið.is under the “Eldri orðabækur” tab.)
• Kristín Bjarnadóttir, editor (2002–2025), “smekkur”, in Beygingarlýsing íslensks nútímamáls [The Database of Modern Icelandic Inflection] (in Icelandic), Reykjavík: The Árni Magnússon Institute for Icelandic Studies
• Mörður Árnason (2019) Íslensk orðabók, 5th edition, Reykjavík: Forlagið
• “smekkur” in the Dictionary of Modern Icelandic (in Icelandic) and ISLEX (in the Nordic languages)