receptor

Estimated CEFR level: C2 — Proficiency

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

noun a cellular structure that is postulated to exist in order to mediate between a chemical agent that acts on nervous tissue and the physiological response
noun an organ having nerve endings (in the skin or viscera or eye or ear or nose or mouth) that respond to stimulation

From Middle English receptour, from Old French receptour or Latin receptōrius, from recipiō (“receive”), from re- (“back”) + capiō (“to hold”).

"This one has receptors on the hull. — The Misplaced Battleship, Harry Harrison
Of course Rose agreed and cheerfully risked getting her eyes blackened and her fingers bruised till her young receptor gratefully observed that “it was no fun playing where you had to look out for windows and jars and things, so I'd like that jolly book about Captain Nemo and the Nautilus, please.” Being gratified, he spread himself upon the couch, crossed his legs in the air, and without another word dived Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, where he remained for two mortal hours, to the general satisfaction of his relatives. — Rose in Bloom: A Sequel to "Eight Cousins", Louisa May Alcott

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