Dictionary

mouthfeel en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (US) audio
• /ˈmaʊθˌfil/ (General-American)

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *men- Proto-Indo-European *-tós Proto-Indo-European *mn̥-tó-s Proto-Germanic *munþaz Proto-West Germanic *munþ Old English mūþ Middle English mouth English mouth Proto-West Germanic *fōlijan Old English fēlan Middle English felen English feel English mouthfeel From mouth + feel.

Meanings

1. (countable, uncountable) A feeling (other than taste) perceived inside the mouth. ▸ The texture of food, drink, etc. as perceived by the mouth.
   • Liquid foods which are essentially Newtonian fluids may be considered to have their texture or “mouthfeel” adequately described by their viscosity. 1962, Samuel A. Matz, Food Texture, Westport, CT: The AVI publishing company, page 41:
   • Dark ale tends to have a creamy mouthfeel.
   • The disappearance of hummus from the shelves after a hygiene problem at a plant supplying supermarkets has revealed the depth of popular addiction to this appealing paste. Its taste, at once earthy and refreshing, now has a large place in the British palate. Its grainy texture offers what food chemists call “mouthfeel” at its best. [2007 February 23, “In praise of … hummus”, in The Guardian, →ISSN, archived from the original on 25 Jan 2022:
   • “So to start with,” Adria says, “it [a transgender woman's penis] doesn’t get as hard, it doesn’t really ejaculate, and it has a different mouthfeel. Can we please talk about the mouthfeel? Why is no one talking about the mouthfeel?” she repeats, looking straight into the camera through her clear-framed glasses as the camera zooms in. 2018 August 24, Katherine Cross, “The Oscar Wilde of YouTube fights the alt-right with decadence and seduction”, in The Verge, archived from the original on 17 Apr 2019:
   • Our five tasters[…]conducted a blind test of the biscuits. They were asked to assess them on their appearance (an even golden-brown); aroma (biscuity); mouthfeel (either pleasantly chewy or with a satisfying crunch); and flavour (balanced, perfumed with golden syrup and earthy with oats). 2023 April 22, Yvonne C. Lam, “Supermarket Anzac biscuit taste test: from ‘beautiful’ to ‘an intense workout’”, in The Guardian, →ISSN, archived from the original on 03 Aug 2023:
   • “Unctuous is probably quite a good description, but there's a sweetness, too, and a mouthfeel,” ventures Heston Blumenthal, chef at the Fat Duck at Bray. 2000 January 28, Oliver Burkeman, quoting Heston Blumenthal, “Things that make you go yum”, in The Guardian, →ISSN, archived from the original on 30 May 2023:
2. (countable, uncountable) A feeling (other than taste) perceived inside the mouth. ▸ The sensations of the tongue when it moves around in the mouth.
   • I have a much better mouthfeel since my broken tooth has been repaired.

Forms

Coordinates

handfeel · skinfeel · skinfeel · handfeel

Translations (10)

nl mondgevoel (texture perceived by mouth) · sv munkänsla (texture perceived by mouth) · fi suutuntuma (texture perceived by mouth) · cmn 口感 (texture perceived by mouth) · ja 食感 (texture perceived by mouth) · yi רושם אין מויל (texture perceived by mouth) · he תחושה בפה (texture perceived by mouth) · hu kortyérzet (texture perceived by mouth) · de Mundgefühl (texture perceived by mouth) · es textura en boca (texture perceived by mouth)