glutamate

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noun glu·ta·mate \ˈglü-tə-ˌmāt\

Definition of glutamate

: a salt or ester of glutamic acid; specifically : a salt or ester of levorotatory glutamic acid that functions as an excitatory neurotransmitter — compare monosodium glutamate

Recent Examples of glutamate from the Web

Riluzole blocks the release of glutamate, which is the message that nerve cells use to communicate with each other in the central nervous system.

— andrea k. mcdaniels, baltimoresun.com, "New drug shows promise for treating Lou Gehrig's disease," 28 June 2017
Arora believes the dumplings are dangerous because of the use of ajinomoto, which contains monosodium glutamate, a flavor enhancer used in many street foods.

— vidhi doshi, Washington Post, "Indian legislator declares war on ‘killer’ dumplings," 9 June 2017
Currently, only two drugs have been approved for treating A.L.S. One is Rilutek (riluzole), which counters the elevated levels of the neurotransmitter glutamate that arise in the brains and spinal fluid of A.L.S. patients.

— jane e. brody, New York Times, "A New Drug for A.L.S., but the Diagnosis Remains Dire," 29 May 2017
Its limited effect on life span — an extension of a few months — suggests that excess glutamate is hardly the only noxious factor involved in the disease.

— jane e. brody, New York Times, "A New Drug for A.L.S., but the Diagnosis Remains Dire," 29 May 2017
After that, makers can add salt, sweeteners, spices (except saffron or turmeric or anything that mimics a yolk-y color) and monosodium glutamate, among other ingredients.

— bill daley, chicagotribune.com, "13 mayonnaise brands ranked — how did your favorite do?," 12 May 2017
Mushrooms are embraced as a natural flavor enhancer because of their high concentration of glutamic acid, which is the natural amino acid form of monosodium glutamate (MSG), often used for flavoring Asian recipes.

— philip potempa, Post-Tribune, "Spring mushrooms a prized find for young and old," 5 May 2017
These drugs either slow the breakdown of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine or block the overproduction of glutamate in the brain, but none have been shown to work very well for very long.

— pam belluck, New York Times, "What causes Alzheimer’s?," 30 Apr. 2016
So the cooks began adding the powder to MSG, or monosodium glutamate, and put it in sauce used by customers.

— edward wong, New York Times, "At Some Restaurants in China, a Shortcut to Addictive Food: Poppies," 30 Jan. 2016

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'glutamate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of glutamate

1876

Medical Dictionary

glutamate

play

noun glu·ta·mate \ˈglüt-ə-ˌmāt\

Medical Definition of glutamate

: a salt or ester of glutamic acid; specifically : a salt or ester of levorotatory glutamic acid that functions as an excitatory neurotransmitter—see monosodium glutamate