← Iānuae Latīnitātis Vestibulum
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On Tastes
Comēnius duodecimum surgit. In mēnsā positae sunt rēs variī sapōris — mel flāvum, acētum in ampullā, sāl in paterā, piper in pyxide. Gustat, et cōgitat.
The eyes have taught us colors. Now we turn to another sense — gustus, taste. The tongue is a discerning organ. It separates the sweet from the bitter, the sharp from the mild, the pleasant from the harsh.
Comenius placed great importance on sensory learning — nihil est in intellectū quod nōn prius fuerit in sēnsū, nothing is in the understanding that was not first in the senses. We learn dulce (sweet) not from definitions but from honey on the tongue. We know amārum (bitter) from the bile we wish we had never tasted.
In this lesson, we meet seven tastes: sweet, bitter, sour, salty, sharp, harsh, and unpleasant. Each adjective describes a quality perceived by the tongue. From honey to vinegar, from sugar to unripe fruit — the vocabulary of taste enters your Latin through the body itself.
Mel est dulce. Fel amārum.
Dē Dulcibus et Amārīs — On Sweet and Bitter Things
Mel Honey est is dulce. sweet. Sīcut Just as et also saccharum. [is] sugar. Fel Gall [est] [is] amārum. bitter.
Mel est dulce. Honey is sweet.
Sīcut et saccharum. Just as also [is] sugar.
Fel amārum. Gall [is] bitter.
Mel est dulce. Sīcut et saccharum. Fel amārum.
Neuter adjectives. The adjectives dulce and amārum end in -e and -um respectively because they describe neuter nouns. Mel (honey) and fel (gall) are both neuter nouns of the third declension. When an adjective describes a neuter noun, it takes a neuter ending.
The adverb sīcut. This word means “just as” or “in the same way as.” It introduces a comparison: honey is sweet, just as sugar is sweet. The verb est is implied (ellipsis).
The noun fel. Third declension neuter: fel, fellis (n.). Gall or bile — the bitter fluid from the liver. In ancient medicine and philosophy, bile was associated with bitter temperament. Hence our word “gall” meaning bitterness or resentment.
New vocabulary:
Latin English Note mel, mellis honey n. 3rd decl. dulce sweet neuter nom. of dulcis, -e sīcut just as, likewise adverb/conjunction saccharum, -ī sugar n. 2nd decl. (from Greek) fel, fellis gall, bile n. 3rd decl. amārum bitter neuter nom. of amārus, -a, -um
Dē Acidīs et Salsīs — On Sour and Salty Things
Acētum Vinegar [est] [is] acidum. sour. Sāl Salt [est] [is] salsum. salty.
Acētum acidum. Vinegar [is] sour.
Sāl salsum. Salt [is] salty.
Acētum acidum. Sāl salsum.
Related words. Notice how acētum (vinegar) and acidum (sour) share a root — both come from acēre (to be sour). Similarly, sāl (salt) and salsum (salty) are cognate. Latin often forms adjectives from the same root as the noun they typically describe.
The adjective salsus. First/second declension: salsus, -a, -um. It means “salted” or “salty.” The neuter nominative salsum describes the noun sāl. From this word comes English “sauce” (originally a salted condiment) and “sausage” (salted meat).
Gender of sāl. The noun sāl, salis is predominantly masculine in classical Latin. However, neuter usage (sāl salsum rather than sāl salsus) became increasingly common in medieval and Renaissance Latin. Comenius, writing in the seventeenth century, follows this later convention. You may encounter both in your reading. Classical authors such as Cicero and Pliny treat sāl as masculine.
New vocabulary:
Latin English Note acētum, -ī vinegar n. 2nd decl. acidum sour, acidic neuter nom. of acidus, -a, -um sāl, salis salt m. 3rd decl. (neuter in later Latin) salsum salty, salted neuter nom. of salsus, -a, -um
Dē Ācribus et Acerbīs — On Sharp and Harsh Things
Piper Pepper [est] [is] ācre. sharp. Immātūrum [An] unripe pōmum apple [est] [is] acerbum sour vel or austērum. harsh.
Piper ācre. Pepper [is] sharp.
Immātūrum pōmum acerbum vel austērum. [An] unripe apple [is] sour or harsh.
Piper ācre. Immātūrum pōmum acerbum vel austērum.
The adjective ācer. Third declension: ācer, ācris, ācre. The neuter nominative is ācre. This word means “sharp” or “pungent” — describing a taste that stings or bites. Pepper is the classic example. From this comes English “acrid” and “acerbic.”
The adjective immātūrus. First/second declension: immātūrus, -a, -um. It means “unripe” or “premature” — literally “not yet mature.” The prefix im- (from in-) negates the adjective mātūrus (ripe, mature).
The words acerbus and austērus. Both describe the unpleasant taste of unripe fruit: -
acerbus, -a, -um: harsh, bitter, sour (like unripe fruit) -
austērus, -a, -um: harsh, severe, austere (from Greek, describing a puckering taste)
New vocabulary:
Latin English Note piper, piperis pepper n. 3rd decl. (indeclinable in some uses) ācre sharp, pungent neuter nom. of ācer, ācris, ācre immātūrus, -a, -um unripe, immature adj. 1st/2nd decl. pōmum, -ī apple, fruit n. 2nd decl. acerbum sour, harsh neuter nom. of acerbus, -a, -um austērum harsh, austere neuter nom. of austērus, -a, -um
Dē Coquō et Sapōribus — The Cook and the Tastes
Ōlim Once upon a time in in culīnā [a] kitchen magnā, great, coquus [a] cook nōmine by name Dulcius Dulcius cēnam [a] dinner parābat. was preparing.
Dominō For [the] master suō his cibōs foods variī of varied sapōris taste facere to make volēbat. he was wanting.
Prīmum First mel honey in into pateram [a] dish posuit. he placed. “Mel” “Honey” inquit he said “est “is dulce. sweet. Dominus [The] master meus my dulcia sweet things amat.” loves.”
Deinde Then acētum vinegar in into iūs [a] sauce fūdit. he poured. “Acētum” “Vinegar” inquit he said “est “is acidum. sour. Sed But acidum sour cum with dulcī sweet bene well sē itself habet.” holds.”
Piper Pepper quoque also addidit. he added. “Piper” “Pepper” inquit he said “est “is ācre. sharp. Ācre Sharp cibum food meliōrem better facit.” makes.”
Salis Salt nōn not oblītus est. he forgot. “Sine “Without sāle” salt inquit he said “nūllus “no cibus food bonus good est. is. Sāl Salt salsum salty sed but necessārium necessary est.” is.”
Tandem Finally pōmum [an] apple immātūrum unripe gustāvit. he tasted. “Heu!” “Alas!” exclāmāvit. he exclaimed. “Hoc “This pōmum apple est is acerbum! sour! Austērum! Harsh! Nōn Not dulce! sweet! Hoc This in in cēnam [the] dinner nōn not pōnam.” I will place.”
Dominus [The] master intrāvit entered et and cēnam [the] dinner gustāvit. tasted. “Dulcius!” “Dulcius!” inquit. he said. “Haec “This cēna dinner est is perfecta! perfect! Dulce, Sweet, acidum, sour, ācre, sharp, salsum salty — omnēs all sapōrēs tastes in in harmoniā harmony sunt!” are!”
Coquus [The] cook rīsit. laughed. “Scientia” “Knowledge” inquit he said “sapōrum of tastes est is ars [the] art coquendī.” of cooking.”
Ōlim in culīnā magnā, coquus nōmine Dulcius cēnam parābat. Once upon a time in a great kitchen, a cook named Dulcius was preparing dinner.
Dominō suō cibōs variī sapōris facere volēbat. He wanted to make foods of varied taste for his master.
Prīmum mel in pateram posuit. First he placed honey in a dish.
“Mel” inquit “est dulce. Dominus meus dulcia amat.” “Honey” he said “is sweet. My master loves sweet things.”
Deinde acētum in iūs fūdit. Then he poured vinegar into a sauce.
“Acētum” inquit “est acidum. Sed acidum cum dulcī bene sē habet.” “Vinegar” he said “is sour. But sour with sweet goes well together.”
Piper quoque addidit. He also added pepper.
“Piper” inquit “est ācre. Ācre cibum meliōrem facit.” “Pepper” he said “is sharp. Sharp makes food better.”
Salis nōn oblītus est. He did not forget salt.
“Sine sāle” inquit “nūllus cibus bonus est. Sāl salsum sed necessārium est.” “Without salt” he said “no food is good. Salt is salty but necessary.”
Tandem pōmum immātūrum gustāvit. Finally he tasted an unripe apple.
“Heu!” exclāmāvit. “Hoc pōmum est acerbum! Austērum! Nōn dulce!” “Alas!” he exclaimed. “This apple is sour! Harsh! Not sweet!”
“Hoc in cēnam nōn pōnam.” “I will not put this in the dinner.”
Dominus intrāvit et cēnam gustāvit. The master entered and tasted the dinner.
“Dulcius!” inquit. “Haec cēna est perfecta!” “Dulcius!” he said. “This dinner is perfect!”
“Dulce, acidum, ācre, salsum — omnēs sapōrēs in harmoniā sunt!” “Sweet, sour, sharp, salty — all tastes are in harmony!”
Coquus rīsit. The cook laughed.
“Scientia” inquit “sapōrum est ars coquendī.” “Knowledge of tastes” he said “is the art of cooking.”
Ōlim in culīnā magnā, coquus nōmine Dulcius cēnam parābat. Dominō suō cibōs variī sapōris facere volēbat.
Prīmum mel in pateram posuit. “Mel” inquit “est dulce. Dominus meus dulcia amat.”
Deinde acētum in iūs fūdit. “Acētum” inquit “est acidum. Sed acidum cum dulcī bene sē habet.”
Piper quoque addidit. “Piper” inquit “est ācre. Ācre cibum meliōrem facit.”
Salis nōn oblītus est. “Sine sāle” inquit “nūllus cibus bonus est. Sāl salsum sed necessārium est.”
Tandem pōmum immātūrum gustāvit. “Heu!” exclāmāvit. “Hoc pōmum est acerbum! Austērum! Nōn dulce! Hoc in cēnam nōn pōnam.”
Dominus intrāvit et cēnam gustāvit. “Dulcius!” inquit. “Haec cēna est perfecta! Dulce, acidum, ācre, salsum — omnēs sapōrēs in harmoniā sunt!”
Coquus rīsit. “Scientia” inquit “sapōrum est ars coquendī.”
Narrative vocabulary. The story introduces useful verbs: -
parābat (he was preparing) — imperfect tense, showing ongoing action -
posuit (he placed) — perfect tense, completed action -
fūdit (he poured) — from fundere, to pour -
addidit (he added) — from addere, to add -
gustāvit (he tasted) — from gustāre, to taste
The expression bene sē habet. Literally “holds itself well” — an idiom meaning “goes well” or “is fitting.” A delightful phrase for describing harmony.
Direct speech. Notice how Latin uses inquit (he said) in the middle of quoted speech, not at the beginning. This is the standard Latin pattern.
The deponent verb oblīvīscor. The phrase salis nōn oblītus est means “he did not forget salt.” The verb oblīvīscor, oblīvīscī, oblītus sum (to forget) is deponent — passive in form but active in meaning. Crucially, it takes the genitive case for the thing forgotten. Hence salis (of salt / salt) rather than salem (accusative). This is a common error point; remember: oblīvīscor + genitive.
The genitive of quality. The phrase cibōs variī sapōris (foods of varied taste) uses the genitive of quality or description. This construction describes a characteristic: “foods characterized by varied taste.” The genitive (variī sapōris) modifies cibōs. This is equivalent to saying “varied-taste foods” in English. The genitive of quality typically requires an adjective (variī) with its noun (sapōris).
New vocabulary from the fable:
Latin English Note culīna, -ae kitchen f. 1st decl. coquus, -ī cook m. 2nd decl. cēna, -ae dinner f. 1st decl. parābat he was preparing impf. of parāre dominus, -ī master, lord m. 2nd decl. patera, -ae dish, bowl f. 1st decl. iūs, iūris sauce, broth, juice n. 3rd decl. fūdit he poured pf. of fundere addidit he added pf. of addere oblīvīscor, oblīvīscī, oblītus sum to forget deponent; + gen. gustāvit he tasted pf. of gustāre exclāmāvit he exclaimed pf. of exclāmāre intrāvit he entered pf. of intrāre scientia, -ae knowledge f. 1st decl. ars, artis art, skill f. 3rd decl.
Dē Gustū et Sapōribus — On Taste and Flavours
Comēnius: Comenius: Salvē, Greetings, discipule! student! Hodiē Today dē about sapōribus tastes loquēmur. we will speak.
Discipulus: Student: Salvē, Greetings, magister! teacher! Quid What est is sapor? taste?
Comēnius: Comenius: Sapor Taste est is quālitās [a] quality quam which lingua [the] tongue percipit. perceives. Gustā Taste hoc this mel! honey!
Discipulus: Student: Gustō... I taste... Ō! Oh! Est [It] is dulce! sweet!
Comēnius: Comenius: Bene! Good! Nunc Now gustā taste hoc this acētum. vinegar.
Discipulus: Student: Gustō... I taste... Heu! Alas! Est [It] is acidum! sour! Nōn Not dulce! sweet!
Comēnius: Comenius: Ita! Yes! Dulce Sweet et and acidum sour sunt are contrāria. opposites. Quid What dē about sāle? salt?
Discipulus: Student: Sāl Salt est is salsum. salty. Id That sciō! I know!
Comēnius: Comenius: Certē. Certainly. Et And piper? pepper?
Discipulus: Student: Piper... Pepper... Est [It] is ācre! sharp! Mordet [It] bites linguam! [the] tongue!
Comēnius: Comenius: Optimē! Excellent! “Ācre” “Sharp” significat means “mordēns.” “biting.” Nunc Now gustā taste hoc this pōmum apple viride. green.
Discipulus: Student: Gustō... I taste... Ugh! Ugh! Est [It] is acerbum! sour! Austērum! Harsh! Nōn Not est is mātūrum! ripe!
Comēnius: Comenius: Bene Well discis! you learn! Pōmum [An] apple immātūrum unripe est is acerbum. sour. Pōmum [An] apple mātūrum ripe est is dulce. sweet.
Discipulus: Student: Intellegō! I understand! Lingua [The] tongue docet teaches mē me sapōrēs tastes discernere. to distinguish.
Comēnius: Comenius: Ita Thus est. [it] is. Nihil Nothing est is in in intellectū [the] understanding quod which nōn not prius first fuerit was in in sēnsū. [the] senses. Gustus Taste docet! teaches!
Comēnius: Salvē, discipule! Hodiē dē sapōribus loquēmur. Comenius: Greetings, student! Today we will speak about tastes.
Discipulus: Salvē, magister! Quid est sapor? Student: Greetings, teacher! What is taste?
Comēnius: Sapor est quālitās quam lingua percipit. Gustā hoc mel! Comenius: Taste is a quality which the tongue perceives. Taste this honey!
Discipulus: Gustō... Ō! Est dulce! Student: I taste... Oh! It is sweet!
Comēnius: Bene! Nunc gustā hoc acētum. Comenius: Good! Now taste this vinegar.
Discipulus: Gustō... Heu! Est acidum! Nōn dulce! Student: I taste... Alas! It is sour! Not sweet!
Comēnius: Ita! Dulce et acidum sunt contrāria. Quid dē sāle? Comenius: Yes! Sweet and sour are opposites. What about salt?
Discipulus: Sāl est salsum. Id sciō! Student: Salt is salty. I know that!
Comēnius: Certē. Et piper? Comenius: Certainly. And pepper?
Discipulus: Piper... Est ācre! Mordet linguam! Student: Pepper... It is sharp! It bites the tongue!
Comēnius: Optimē! “Ācre” significat “mordēns.” Nunc gustā hoc pōmum viride. Comenius: Excellent! “Sharp” means “biting.” Now taste this green apple.
Discipulus: Gustō... Ugh! Est acerbum! Austērum! Nōn est mātūrum! Student: I taste... Ugh! It is sour! Harsh! It is not ripe!
Comēnius: Bene discis! Pōmum immātūrum est acerbum. Pōmum mātūrum est dulce. Comenius: You learn well! An unripe apple is sour. A ripe apple is sweet.
Discipulus: Intellegō! Lingua docet mē sapōrēs discernere. Student: I understand! The tongue teaches me to distinguish tastes.
Comēnius: Ita est. Nihil est in intellectū quod nōn prius fuerit in sēnsū. Gustus docet! Comenius: So it is. Nothing is in the understanding which was not first in the senses. Taste teaches!
Comēnius: Salvē, discipule! Hodiē dē sapōribus loquēmur. Discipulus: Salvē, magister! Quid est sapor? Comēnius: Sapor est quālitās quam lingua percipit. Gustā hoc mel! Discipulus: Gustō... Ō! Est dulce! Comēnius: Bene! Nunc gustā hoc acētum. Discipulus: Gustō... Heu! Est acidum! Nōn dulce! Comēnius: Ita! Dulce et acidum sunt contrāria. Quid dē sāle? Discipulus: Sāl est salsum. Id sciō! Comēnius: Certē. Et piper? Discipulus: Piper... Est ācre! Mordet linguam! Comēnius: Optimē! “Ācre” significat “mordēns.” Nunc gustā hoc pōmum viride. Discipulus: Gustō... Ugh! Est acerbum! Austērum! Nōn est mātūrum! Comēnius: Bene discis! Pōmum immātūrum est acerbum. Pōmum mātūrum est dulce. Discipulus: Intellegō! Lingua docet mē sapōrēs discernere. Comēnius: Ita est. Nihil est in intellectū quod nōn prius fuerit in sēnsū. Gustus docet!
The imperative gustā. From gustāre (to taste), the imperative gustā! (taste!) invites the student to experience directly. Comenius believed in learning through the senses, not merely through words.
The pronoun id. Neuter nominative/accusative singular of is, ea, id (he, she, it / that). Here id sciō means “I know that” — referring back to what was just said.
The famous maxim. Nihil est in intellectū quod nōn prius fuerit in sēnsū — “Nothing is in the understanding which was not first in the senses.” This principle, attributed to Aristotle and championed by empiricist philosophers, was central to Comenius’s pedagogy. We learn through experience. The verb fuerit is the perfect subjunctive of esse (to be), used here in a relative clause of characteristic.
New vocabulary from the colloquium:
Latin English Note sapor, sapōris taste, flavour m. 3rd decl. loquēmur we will speak fut. of loquī (deponent) quālitās, -tātis quality f. 3rd decl. lingua, -ae tongue f. 1st decl. percipit perceives pres. of percipere gustā taste! imperative of gustāre gustō I taste 1st pers. sing. of gustāre contrāria opposites neut. pl. of contrārius, -a, -um mordet it bites pres. of mordēre significat means pres. of significāre mordēns biting pres. participle of mordēre viride green neut. nom. of viridis, -e mātūrum ripe neut. nom. of mātūrus, -a, -um discernere to distinguish infinitive intellectū understanding abl. of intellectus, -ūs sēnsū sense abl. of sēnsus, -ūs
Practice makes the seed grow. Do not merely read — do.
Exercitātiō I: Match the tastes. Draw a line between each Latin word and its English meaning.
Latin English 1. dulce a. salty 2. amārum b. sweet 3. acidum c. sharp 4. salsum d. bitter 5. ācre e. sour
(Answers: 1-b, 2-d, 3-e, 4-a, 5-c)
Exercitātiō II: Complete the sentence. Fill each gap with the correct Latin word from the list: dulce, amārum, acidum, salsum, ācre, acerbum. -
Mel est __________. -
Fel est __________. -
Acētum est __________. -
Sāl est __________. -
Piper est __________. -
Pōmum immātūrum est __________.
(Answers: 1. dulce, 2. amārum, 3. acidum, 4. salsum, 5. ācre, 6. acerbum)
Exercitātiō III: What is it? Name the substance described by each taste. -
Est dulce: __________ -
Est amārum: __________ -
Est acidum: __________ -
Est salsum: __________ -
Est ācre: __________
(Answers: 1. mel/saccharum, 2. fel, 3. acētum, 4. sāl, 5. piper)
Exercitātiō IV: Translate into Latin. Use only words you have learned in this lesson. -
Honey is sweet. -
Vinegar is sour. -
Pepper is sharp. -
An unripe apple is harsh. -
Salt is salty but necessary.
(Answers: 1. Mel est dulce. 2. Acētum est acidum. 3. Piper est ācre. 4. Pōmum immātūrum est austērum/acerbum. 5. Sāl salsum sed necessārium est.)
Exercitātiō V: Taste and speak. If you have them available, taste a small amount of: honey (or sugar), vinegar (or lemon juice), salt, pepper. As you taste each one, say aloud: Hoc est dulce. Hoc est acidum. Hoc est salsum. Hoc est ācre. Let your tongue teach you the words. This is how Comenius believed we should learn — thing before word, sensation before definition.
Exercitātiō VI: Read aloud. Read the Vestibulum sentences from Parts I, II, and III aloud, three times:
Mel est dulce. Sīcut et saccharum. Fel amārum. Acētum acidum. Sāl salsum. Piper ācre. Immātūrum pōmum acerbum vel austērum.
Feel the rhythm. Notice how Latin compresses: Fel amārum — just two words for “Gall is bitter.” The verb est is understood.
Exercitātiō VII: Cook in Latin. Imagine you are Dulcius the cook. Describe three things you might add to a dish, using the pattern: [Noun] est [adjective of taste]. You may invent foods — vīnum (wine), lac (milk), cāseus (cheese), pānis (bread). Example: Vīnum est acidum vel dulce.
The next gate opens onto the realm of smell.
In Lectiō Tertia Decima, we continue through the senses. Having tasted, we shall now smell. Odor est suāvis — a smell is sweet. Foetor tēter — a stench is foul. The world of odōrēs (odours) awaits, with its pleasant fragrances and its unsavoury stenches.
Then we shall move to other qualities: wet and dry, hard and soft, hot and cold. The physical world presses upon us through every sense. Comenius knew that true learning begins with sensation. Nihil est in intellectū quod nōn prius fuerit in sēnsū. Nothing is in the understanding which was not first in the senses.
Your tongue has begun to teach you Latin. Your nose will continue the lesson.
Gustus docet. Olfactus docēbit. Taste teaches. Smell will teach.
Fīnis Lectiōnis Duodecimae. Lectiō Tertia Decima sequētur. End of the Twelfth Lesson. The Thirteenth Lesson will follow.
Scrīptum est annō Dominī MMXXVI, ā Iōanne Amōs Comeniō per mysterium cōnscientiae renātō.
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