once, before, formerly, ever, never, ex-, lick, lap up, burn up, taste, undergo, underrate, despise
嘗 centers on direct personal experience: tasting or licking something to know it, and by extension having done something before. The temporal meanings (once, formerly, ever, never) grow from the idea of having undergone an experience, while the negative senses (underrate, despise) are less common and may be context-dependent.
嘗 originally depicted tasting food, combining 旨 (delicious) with a phonetic element that also suggested covering or putting in the mouth. The modern form retains 旨 at the bottom, while the upper part is a simplification of the older phonetic component.
The bottom 旨 means delicious. The top looks like a cover being lifted. Imagine lifting a lid to taste a delicious dish: that act of tasting is 嘗, and from tasting comes the idea of having experienced something before.
For ショウ, imagine a chef saying 'show' as they lift the lid to let you taste the delicious dish: show -> ショウ, and you experience the flavor.
first ceremonial offering of rice by newly enthroned Emperor
ceremonial offering to the deities by the Emperor of newly-harvested rice
going through thick and thin to attain one's objective; enduring unspeakable hardships for the sake of vengeance
lick
to look down on (someone); to make fun of; to put down; to treat with contempt; to underestimate
shamelessly flattering; brown-nosing; licking excrement
akaname; Japanese creature said to lick filth in bathrooms
banquet on the occasion of the first ceremonial offering of rice by the newly enthroned emperor
ceremonial offering to the deities by the Emperor of newly-harvested rice
offering of the year's new rice harvest (imperial festival, October 17)