taste bud

noun

: an end organ mediating the sensation of taste and lying chiefly in the epithelium of the tongue

Examples of taste bud in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Our version includes a little bit of a soft drink like Dr. Pepper to really tickle those Texan taste buds. —Mary Alice Russell, Southern Living, 13 Aug. 2024

For the recipe this week, my original partner for the food side of my articles for over 10 years has returned to make mouths water and taste buds sing. —Johnny Noakes, Hartford Courant, 11 Aug. 2024

Sometimes, these sudden shifts in appetite have less to do with a child's taste buds and more with wanting to assert control or fit in with their peers. —Katherine Lee, Parents, 30 July 2024

My taste buds will get blasted, leaving behind a palate that toggles between metallic and fishy. —David Gilbert, The New Yorker, 4 Aug. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1879, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

taste bud

noun

: any of the sense organs by means of which taste is recognized and which are usually on the surface of the tongue

Medical Definition

taste bud

noun

: an end organ that mediates the sensation of taste, lies chiefly in the epithelium of the tongue and especially in the walls of the circumvallate papillae, and consists of a conical or flask-shaped mass made up partly of supporting cells and partly of neuroepithelial sensory cells terminating peripherally in short hairlike processes which project into the pore in the overlying epithelium and by which communication with the mouth cavity is effected