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# glutamate

noun (glutamate, glutamates)

«glutamate» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. (science) A natural substance found in many foods such as tomatoes, cheese and mushrooms; it gives the savoury taste called umami. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/glutamate/#m1)
2. Monosodium glutamate (MSG), a salt of it added to food to make it taste more savoury. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/glutamate/#m2)
3. (biology) A chemical messenger that nerve cells in the brain use to pass signals. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/glutamate/#m3)

### In the lessons

Comes up in science lessons about taste (the five tastes: sweet, sour, salty, bitter, umami) and on food labels. Phrases: monosodium glutamate, MSG, flavour enhancer.

### Examples

- Parmesan cheese is rich in natural glutamate. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/glutamate/#x1)
- Monosodium glutamate is often written as MSG on packets. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/glutamate/#x2)
- Glutamate gives food the savoury taste called umami. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/glutamate/#x3)
- Ripe tomatoes contain more glutamate than green ones. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/glutamate/#x4)
- Some crisps have glutamate added as a flavour enhancer. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/glutamate/#x5)
- Your brain uses glutamate to send messages between nerve cells. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/glutamate/#x6)

### Note

Say GLOO-ta-mate. Countable in science (glutamates) but usually uncountable for food. Myth: many people think MSG is harmful; scientific reviews have found it safe for most people in normal amounts. Related: glutamic acid.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «glutamate» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/glutamate/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«glutamate» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/glutamate.html) on Mova free.