taster

UK: /ˈteɪstə^r/ US: (tā′stər)

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

tast•er  (tā′stər), n. 

1. a person who tastes, esp. one skilled in distinguishing the qualities of liquors, tea, etc., by the taste.
2. a container for taking samples or tasting.
3. a wide shallow cup, usually metal, for holding wine to be tasted, as by a professional taster.
4. a person employed or ordered to taste the food and drink prepared for a king, dictator, etc., to ascertain the presence of poison.
5. Genetics a person able to taste phenylthiourea or some other test substance.

• Anglo-French. See taste, -er¹
• Middle English tastour 1350–1400

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

taster / ˈteɪstə/ noun

1. a person who samples food or drink for quality
2. any device used in tasting or sampling
3. a person employed, esp formerly, to taste food and drink prepared for a king, etc, to test for poison
4. a sample or preview of a product, experience, etc, intended to stimulate interest in the product, experience, etc, itself: the single serves as a taster for the band's new album