SALTY
Sure, salty is a taste, but it’s also a trait used to describe somebody, their language specifically, as racy and coarse. The term’s origin as a trait came to us in the 1900s as a way to describe sailors coming home from sea (a particularly coarse and vulgar-speaking breed if ever there was one).
And, salty has continued to grow in use to describe just about anyone who’s a little rough around the edges.
BITTER
As a taste, bitter is defined to mean “something acrid or harsh.” As a trait, on the other hand, bitter has come to describe a person who shows unrelenting hostility or resentment. Bitter‘s origin is from Old English and first describes the taste. But, the word bitterness (or biternys in the Old English) first appeared in the figurative sense to describe a feeling rather than the taste.
BLAND
Bland comes to us from the Latin word blandus, meaning “soothing or pleasant.” However, while that sounds nice, bland has also come to describe personality traits such as dull or lacking in appeal, pretty much the same as that Olive Garden pasta. Bland people tend to lack special interests.
SWEET
Well, like sugar, spice, and everything nice, the fact that you brought it up was very sweet. Sweet is one of the five basic tastes. However, the term sweet as a personality trait derives from Old English, first used in the 1300s to mean “someone who is beloved.” Since then, it has come into use (even more) to describe a particular person’s personality as caring, loving, generous, and sincere.
SOUR
Like sweet, sour is one of the five basic tastes. And also like sweet, it has come to be associated with personality as well. The term (sur) is thought to be French, though it was loaned to them from the Germanic tongue. Its trait originated in the early 1200s and was defined as “one having a peevish or disagreeable disposition.”
From Dictionary.com
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