taste bud

American  

noun

1. one of numerous small, flask-shaped bodies, chiefly in the epithelium of the tongue, which are the end organs for the sense of taste.

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taste bud British  

noun

1. any of the elevated oval-shaped sensory end organs on the surface of the tongue, by means of which the sensation of taste is experienced

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taste bud Scientific  

/ tāst /

1. Any of numerous sense organs in most vertebrate animals that are specialized to detect taste. Taste buds are sensitive to four types of taste: sweet, sour, salty, or bitter. In land vertebrates, the taste buds are found on the surface of the tongue. Fish have taste buds all over their bodies.

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Etymology

Origin of taste bud

First recorded in 1885–90

Example Sentences

"This is just the beginning of research to create climate resilient fruit and create a fruit that is acceptable to the Indian taste bud."

From BBC • Jun. 12, 2025

You probably saw a diagram of those taste bud arrangements once in a biology textbook — sweet sensors at the tip, salty on either side, sour behind them, bitter in the back.

From New York Times • May 29, 2024

The sweet taste receptor, expressed in taste bud cells, conveys sweetness from the mouth when it is activated.

From Science Daily • May 17, 2024

There are plenty of options for every taste bud.

From Los Angeles Times • May 16, 2023

We've all hit the wall of Thanksgiving leftovers: the flavors of sage, rosemary, and turkey gravy infiltrating every taste bud, the thought of cold, dry turkey haunting your dreams.

From Salon • Nov. 27, 2021