glutamate

noun

glu·​ta·​mate ˈglü-tə-ˌmāt How to pronounce glutamate (audio)
: a salt or ester of glutamic acid
specifically : a salt or ester of levorotatory glutamic acid that functions as an excitatory neurotransmitter compare monosodium glutamate

Examples of glutamate in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
For example, glutamate is mostly excitatory in our brains, but usually inhibitory in the fly brain. Tom Hawking, Popular Science, 2 Oct. 2024 Neurotransmitter regulation: Magnesium helps to balance the neurotransmitters GABA and glutamate. Allison Futterman, Discover Magazine, 15 May 2024 One of these neurotransmitters is called glutamate. Delaney Nothaft, USA TODAY, 12 Feb. 2024 Plants can carry out signalling within their own bodies, producing electrical impulses that send information to their stems and leaves, even using two of the same neurotransmitters—glycine and glutamate—involved in animal brains. Rachel Riederer, The New Yorker, 12 June 2024 See all Example Sentences for glutamate 

Word History

First Known Use

1876, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of glutamate was in 1876

Dictionary Entries Near glutamate

Cite this Entry

“Glutamate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/glutamate. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.

Medical Definition

glutamate

noun
glu·​ta·​mate ˈglüt-ə-ˌmāt How to pronounce glutamate (audio)
: a salt or ester of glutamic acid
specifically : a salt or ester of levorotatory glutamic acid that functions as an excitatory neurotransmitter see monosodium glutamate

More from Merriam-Webster on glutamate

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!