Hello everyone!
I want to tell you a funny story about my picnic lunch. I was going to eat my special yatkamen, but I forgot the soup! This made me laugh because it reminded me of a joke about taste I heard in America long ago.
This got me thinking, too, about where the word “taste” comes from. I love learning about word origins, so I went home to study it.
Here’s what I found out:
“Taste” comes from an old word “TAG,” which means “touch.” To taste something, you touch it with your tongue!
Surprisingly, “tax” also comes from “TAG.” When the government taxes you, they’re “touching” your money.
“Task” is similar. When your boss gives you a task, they’re “touching” your skills.
“Contact” is easy to understand – contact lenses touch your eyes.
“Attain” means to reach or touch a goal.
I first got interested in word origins because of “tax.” When I learned it meant “touch,” the word became more real to me. It felt like the government was really grabbing my money!
After that, I started looking up many words. I found that most words come from real things we can see, touch, or feel.
For example, “manage” comes from using your hands to make or shape something.
Some people think studying word origins is boring. But I think it’s exciting and helps you learn English better!
I hope you enjoy learning English too!
See you next time, Jiro
