: an end organ mediating the sensation of taste and lying chiefly in the epithelium of the tongue
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the WebLike dynamite, the spices from Prince’s most volatile dish explode on the palate, torching every taste bud in their path in wave after wave of assaults.Washington Post, 30 Apr. 2021 Many of the early toys featured McDonald's McDonaldland characters, including Grimace, the beloved purple mascot presumed to be a taste bud. Kelly Tyko, USA TODAY, 14 Sep. 2021 Breakfast is filled with a number of restaurants battling for taste bud supremacy, including Panera, Starbucks, Dunkin', Taco Bell and, the behemoth itself, McDonald's. Danielle Wiener-bronner, CNN, 11 Aug. 2021 Breakfast is filled with a number of restaurants battling for taste bud supremacy, including Panera, Starbucks, Dunkin', Taco Bell and, the behemoth itself, McDonald's. Danielle Wiener-bronner, CNN, 11 Aug. 2021 In a statement emailed to USA TODAY, the fast food chain wouldn't formally confirm that its beloved purple mascot is a taste bud, as presumed by a local manager in an interview. Brett Molina, USA TODAY, 10 Sep. 2021 Breakfast is filled with a number of restaurants battling for taste bud supremacy, including Panera, Starbucks, Dunkin', Taco Bell and, the behemoth itself, McDonald's. Danielle Wiener-bronner, CNN, 11 Aug. 2021 Breakfast is filled with a number of restaurants battling for taste bud supremacy, including Panera, Starbucks, Dunkin', Taco Bell and, the behemoth itself, McDonald's. Danielle Wiener-bronner, CNN, 11 Aug. 2021 Breakfast is filled with a number of restaurants battling for taste bud supremacy, including Panera, Starbucks, Dunkin', Taco Bell and, the behemoth itself, McDonald's. Danielle Wiener-bronner, CNN, 11 Aug. 2021 See More
Word History
First Known Use
1879, in the meaning defined above
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