An aftertaste is the flavour left in the mouth afterwards. A bitter aftertaste, a long aftertaste, leave an aftertaste.
In wine it is called the finish and length is counted as a virtue; in artificial sweeteners it is a fault. Figuratively an experience can leave a bitter aftertaste. Note the compound of after and taste.
1nounaftertasteThe flavour left in the mouth afterwards.
“The diet cola has a strange metallic aftertaste.”
aftertaste is a taste.
Proto-Indo-European
*teh₂g-
la-cla
taxo — to touch sharply
Vulgar Latin
*tastāre — to touch or feel
Old French
taster — to taste, touch or hit
Middle English
tasten
English
taste
English, today
aftertaste
Built from
From after- + taste. taste The verb is from Middle English tasten, borrowed from Old French taster (“to taste, touch or hit”), from unattested Vulgar Latin tastāre (“to touch or feel”), from taxitāre, an innovated form of la-cla taxo (“to touch sharply”), from tango (“to touch, to grasp”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European teh₂g-, which is assumed to have had the same meaning as tangere. The noun came from the verb, and the two conflated after English lost its infinitive suffix -en, though tasten was most likely already used nominatively (as a), similar to Modern English tasting. Almost fully native smack, from smac,smak,smacke, from smæc,smæċċ.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA