| Basic Tastes | The fundamental taste sensations including sweet, salty, bitter, sour, and umami, perceived by the tongue. | | | |
| Taste Bud | A sensory organ found on the tongue's surface, responsible for the perception of taste. | | | |
| Taste Pore | The opening on the surface of the tongue through which tastants enter the taste bud. | | | |
| Gustatory Cells | Sensory cells within a taste bud that respond to tastants and transmit taste information to the brain. | | | |
| Transitional Cells | Cells surrounding gustatory cells that likely provide structural support within the taste bud. | | | |
| Basal Cells | Progenitor cells at the base of the taste bud that replace old gustatory cells, maintaining the sensitivity of the taste bud. | | | |
| Papillae | Nipple-like structures on the tongue’s surface that contain taste buds and contribute to the tongue’s texture. | | | |
| Microvilli | Projections from gustatory cells that extend into the taste pore to interact with tastants. | | | |
| Nerve Fibers | Bundles of nerve fibers that carry taste information from the taste buds to the brain. | | | |
| Connective Tissue | Tissue that provides structural support to the taste buds and anchors them to the surrounding tongue tissue. | | | |
| Afferent Nerve | Nerve fibers that transmit signals from taste receptor cells to the brain for taste perception. | | | |
| Taste Areas | Regions of the tongue associated with sensitivity to specific tastes: salty (front edges), sweet (tip), bitter (back), sour (sides towards the back), and umami (middle). | | | |
| Lingual Epithelium | The topmost layer of the tongue where the taste buds are located. | | | |
| Taste Sensations | The different flavors that are detected by the taste buds: salty, sweet, bitter, sour, and umami. | | | |
