umami

American

[oo-mah-mee] / uˈmɑ mi /

noun

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.

Etymology

Origin of umami

First recorded in 1960–65; from Japanese: literally, “savory quality, delicious taste,” equivalent to uma-, the inflectional stem of umai “(to be) delicious” + -mi, a suffix forming abstract nouns from adjectives

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

EUC stands for Equivalent Umami Concentration, which is the umami concentration in a food expressed in mg/100 g.

From Science Daily • Apr. 29, 2024

There’s a tall anime-style character plastered to the windows of Rainier Beach cafe Umami Kushi.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 23, 2022

Umami, which translates to "pleasant savory taste," is why tomatoes are oftentimes considered unfit for desserts.

From Salon • Jul. 26, 2022

Umami, like mushrooms and soy sauce, felt bitter, which I still can’t explain.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 21, 2022

Umami is a Japanese word that means “delicious taste,” and is often translated to mean savory.

From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023