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Origin and history of task

task(n.)

early 14c., taske, "a quantity of labor imposed as a duty," from Old North French tasque (12c., Old French tasche, Modern French tâche) "duty, tax," from Vulgar Latin *tasca "a duty, assessment," a metathesis of Medieval Latin taxa, which is a back-formation from Latin taxare "to evaluate, estimate, assess" (see tax (v.)). A doublet of tax (n.); also compare taste.

The general sense of "any piece of work that has to be done" is recorded by 1590s. Also in Middle English as "a tax" (c. 1400); this is obsolete but the phrase take (one) to task (1680s) preserves a sense that is closer to tax.

German Tasche "pocket" is from the same Vulgar Latin source (via Old High German tasca), with presumable sense evolution from "amount of work imposed by some authority," to "payment for that work," to "wages," to "pocket into which money is put," to "any pocket."

also from early 14c.

task(v.)

1520s, "impose a task upon;" 1590s, "to burden, put a strain upon," from task (n.). Earlier in a now obsolete sense of "impose a tax upon, assess fines for" (late 14c.), from a Middle English sense of task (n.). From 1570s as "take to task." Related: Tasked; tasking.

also from 1520s

Entries linking to task

taste(v.)

c. 1300, tasten, "perceive the flavor of" (something); "take a little food or drink; try the quality or flavor of;" from Old French taster "to taste, sample by mouth; enjoy" (13c.), earlier "to feel, touch, pat, stroke" (12c., Modern French tâter), from Vulgar Latin *tastare, which is apparently an alteration (perhaps by influence of gustare "to taste, take a little of") of taxtare, a frequentative form of Latin taxare "evaluate, handle" (see tax (v.)).

Also from c. 1300 in English as "to touch, to handle." From early 14c. as "have experience or knowledge of" (of bliss, bitterness, etc.). The meaning "exercise the sense of taste" is recorded from late 14c.

In reference to substances, "have a certain taste or flavor," from 1550s (displacing native smack (v.3) in this sense). Another PIE root in this sense was *geus- "to taste; to choose" (as in gustare, also gusto, disgust).

The Hindus recognized six principal varieties of taste with sixty-three possible mixtures ... the Greeks eight .... These included the four that are now regarded as fundamental, namely 'sweet,' 'bitter,' 'acid,' 'salt.' ... The others were 'pungent' (Gk. drimys, Skt. katuka-), 'astringent' (Gk. stryphnos, Skt. kasaya-), and, for the Greeks, 'rough, harsh' (austeros), 'oily, greasy' (liparos), with the occasional addition of 'winy' (oinodes). [Carl Darling Buck, "A Dictionary of Selected Synonyms in the Principal Indo-European Languages," 1949]

Related: Tasted; tasting.

tax(v.)

c. 1300, taxen, "impose a tax on; demand, require, impose (a penalty)," from Old French taxer "impose a tax" (13c.) and directly from Latin taxare "evaluate, estimate, assess, handle," also "censure, charge," probably a frequentative form of tangere "to touch" (from PIE root *tag- "to touch, handle").

The meaning "subject (someone) to taxation" is from early 14c. The sense of "to burden, put a strain on" is recorded from early 14c.; the figurative use in this sense is by 1670s. The meaning "censure, reprove" is from 1560s. Its use in Luke ii in reference to the census translates Greek apographein "to enter on a list, enroll" is due to Tyndale. Related: Taxed; taxing.