receptor
Pronunciation: /rɪˈsɛptə/
noun
Physiology- an organ or cell able to respond to light, heat, or other external stimulus and transmit a signal to a sensory nerve: the retina of the octopus has up to 20 million light receptors
- a region of tissue, or a molecule in a cell membrane, which responds specifically to a particular neurotransmitter, hormone, antigen, or other substance: when viruses succeed in binding to cell membrane receptors they still have to enter the cell before they can replicate
Origin:
early 20th century: coined in German from Latin receptor, from recept- 'taken back', from the verb recipere (see receive)