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Comment by sammorrowdrums | Hacker News Reader

Interestingly in the Netherlands they do express things via taste words. Lekker (meaning tasty) can describe an experience, doing something well and more.

Heerlijk (meaning delicious) can also be used. I found a gravestone with the translation: “we thank you God for your great deliciousness”.

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Not quite - "heerlijk" used to mean "lordly", so "heerlijk voedsel" means "food eaten by lords". This also explains the gravestone reference (de Heer == the Lord).

Thanks for clarification! Good to know. I often find it hard to learn and retain the multiple meanings / history of words in a second language. I do know de Heer, and Herengracht etc. I just hadn’t put that together that it’s same origin.

This is also common in other languages. Indonesians use enak (tasty) for almost any positive quality. Even in English people refer to attractive members of the opposite sex as "tasty"

But "heer" in Dutch is either a (human) lord or God, so "heerlijk" means lordly or godly, and over time this became more general.

Much the same word exists in German, "herrlich", but it means "beautiful" or "splendid". Same idea though.

I've mostly referred to members of the same sex as tasty, myself.

These words have shifted similarly but subtly differently in Norwegian too. Lekker = lekker, heerlijk = herlig.

That last example is wrong as translated.

In that context 'heerlijkheid' has nothing to do with taste words, it simply means 'glory'.

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