A descriptor is a standard term used in sensory analysis of foods to describe what a tester perceives — the agreed vocabulary that lets a trained panel speak precisely about flavour, aroma, texture, and appearance. Instead of vague impressions, panellists use defined descriptors anchored to physical references: “green/grassy” tied to a hexanal standard, “buttery” to diacetyl, “astringent” to tannic acid. Each descriptor carries an exact definition and a reference sample, so every panellist means the same thing by the same word. Building a descriptor set — the lexicon — for a product category is skilled work, balancing completeness against panel fatigue. The system turns subjective tasting into reproducible data: when a panel reports that a reformulation raised “cardboard” and lowered “fresh,” product developers know exactly what changed and can act on it.