taste bud

taste bud   n.  Any of numerous spherical or ovoid clusters of receptor cells found mainly in the epithelium of the tongue and constituting the end organs of the sense of taste.

Main Entry: taste bud
Function: noun
: an end organ that mediates the sensation of taste, lies chiefly in the epithelium of the tongue and especially in the walls of thecircumvallate 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 hairlikeprocesses which project into the pore in the overlying epithelium and by which communication with the mouth cavity is effected

taste bud n.
One of a number of flask-shaped receptor cell nests located in the epithelium of the papillae of the tongue and in the soft palate, epiglottis, and pharynx that mediate the sense of taste.

taste bud   (tāst)  Pronunciation Key  (click for larger image in new window) 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.