glutamate

American  

[gloo-tuh-meyt] / ˈglu təˌmeɪt /

noun

1. a salt or ester of glutamic acid.

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glutamate British  

/ ˈɡluːtəˌmeɪt /

noun

1. any salt of glutamic acid, esp its sodium salt See monosodium glutamate

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Etymology

Origin of glutamate

First recorded in 1875–80; glutam(ic acid) + -ate ²

Compare meaning

How does glutamate compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• glutamate vs. glutamic acid

Example Sentences

Ajinomoto, which means “essence of flavor”, built its food empire on the discovery of umami and commercialized the so-called fifth taste in its purest form as monosodium glutamate, a “flavor bomb” used by cooks worldwide.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026

This ultimately stimulates the release of more glutamate, which helps send excitatory signals between brain cells.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 17, 2026

Aijinomoto is best known as the pioneer of monosodium glutamate seasoning.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 5, 2026

Although glutamate is essential for processes like learning and memory, its activity has been extremely difficult to measure because the signals are faint and happen very quickly.

From Science Daily • Dec. 29, 2025

This resulted in the substitution of one amino acid for another: glutamate was switched to valine.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee