the.com/glutamate

means An amino acid that doubles as the brain's main excitatory neurotransmitter, firing signals between neurons — and, as MSG, the molecule behind savory 'umami' taste.

from Named simply from 'glutamic acid,' which got its name from gluten — the wheat protein it was first isolated from in the early 1800s. The '-ate' marks it as a salt of that acid. The umami connection came later, when a Japanese chemist identified glutamate as the source of a savory taste in kombu broth, leading to MSG (monosodium glutamate) as a flavor additive — a culinary afterthought to what turned out to be one of the nervous system's central messenger molecules.