umami

[ oo-mah-mee ]

Part of Speech noun

Origin + Etymology

1908; Japanese coined by chemist Kikunae Ikeda, who first identified the flavor profile scientifically, literally "deliciousness"

Synonyms

meaty
broth-like
savory

Antonyms

sweet
sour
bitter

Definition

a strong meaty taste imparted by glutamate and certain other amino acids: often considered to be one of the basic taste sensations along with sweet, sour, bitter, and salty

Example

A) They especially enjoyed the umami flavors of the soy sauce on their sushi. B) Adding anchovies to the recipe may seem strange, but it adds some wonderful umami to the sauce.

Usage Over Time

#uncommon

Usage Over Time

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auspicious

[ aw-spish-uhs ]

promising success; propitious; opportune; favorable

felicific

[ fee-luh-sif-ik ]

relating to or promoting increased happiness

epiphany

[ ih-pif-uh-nee ]

a sudden, intuitive perception of or insight into the reality or essential meaning of something, usually initiated by some simple, homely, or commonplace occurrence or experience

provident

[ prov-i-duhnt ]

having or showing foresight; providing carefully for the future

pharaonic

[ fair-ey-on-ik ]

cruelly oppressive; tyrannical

quire

[ kwahyuhr ]

a collection of 24 or sometimes 25 sheets of paper of the same size and quality: one twentieth of a ream

bemuse

[ bih-myooz ]

to bewilder or confuse

insatiable

[ in-sey-shuh-buhl ]

not satiable; incapable of being satisfied or appeased

eponym

[ ep-uh-nim ]

a person after whom a discovery, invention, place, etc., is named or thought to be named