sour

adj. denoting the taste elicited by acids. Increasing sourness generally occurs with declining pH. Acids are involved in many physiological processes and also characterize unripe or spoiled foods; thus, their detection is essential for an organism’s ion homeostasis and food selection. —sourness n.

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Psychology term of the day

November 25th 2024

noetic

adj. describing a state of knowledge or memory in which there is awareness of the known or remembered thing but not of one’s personal experience in relation to that thing. Noetic consciousness is a kind of consciousness in which one is aware of facts, concepts, words, and meanings but not of any connection to one’s own experience. Compare anoetic; autonoetic. [defined by Endel Tulving]