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taste

(Encyclopedia)taste, response to chemical stimulation that enables an organism to detect flavors. In humans and most vertebrate animals, taste is produced by the stimulation by various substances of the taste buds ...

umami

(Encyclopedia)umami: see taste.

linseed oil

(Encyclopedia)linseed oil, amber-colored, fatty oil extracted from the cotyledons and inner coats of the linseed. The raw oil extracted from the seeds by hydraulic pressure is pale in color and practically without ...

sense

(Encyclopedia)sense, faculty by which external or internal stimuli are conveyed to the brain centers, where they are registered as sensations. Sensory reception occurs in higher animals through a process known as t...

tongue

(Encyclopedia)tongue, muscular organ occupying the floor of the mouth in vertebrates. In some animals, such as lizards, anteaters, and frogs, it serves a food-gathering function. In humans, the tongue functions pri...

Phelps, Samuel

(Encyclopedia)Phelps, Samuel, 1804–78, English actor-manager. After appearing in the provinces for some years he became known in London c.1837 for his portrayals of Shakespearean characters. His contribution to 1...

tartar emetic

(Encyclopedia)tartar emetic, poisonous, odorless, transparent rhombic crystals or white powder with a metallic, sweetish taste. Chemically, it is potassium antimony tartrate, KSbC4H4O7·1⁄2H2O. It is used as a mo...

Guillaume de Lorris

(Encyclopedia)Guillaume de Lorris gēyōmˈ də lôrēsˈ [key], c.1215–c.1278, French poet, author of the first part of the Roman de la Rose. He handled the chivalric conventions with subtlety and charm, and his...

chapbook

(Encyclopedia)chapbook, one of the pamphlets formerly sold in Europe and America by itinerant agents, or “chapmen.” Chapbooks were inexpensive—in England often costing only a penny—and, like the broadside, ...

vodka

(Encyclopedia)vodka vŏdˈkə [key], traditional spirituous drink of Russia, the Baltic states, and Poland; it is now consumed internationally. The best vodka is distilled from rye and barley malt, but the cheaper ...