epicritic

American

[ep-i-krit-ik] / ˌɛp ɪˈkrɪt ɪk /

adjective

Physiology.

noting or pertaining to a discriminating responsiveness to small variations in pain or temperature stimuli (opposed to protopathic).

epicritic British

/ ˌɛpɪˈkrɪtɪk /

adjective

(of certain nerve fibres of the skin) serving to perceive and distinguish fine variations of temperature or touch

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of epicritic

First recorded in 1900–05, epicritic is from the Greek word epikrítikos determinative. See epicrisis ¹, -tic

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023