effector

American  

[ih-fek-ter] / ɪˈfɛk tər /

noun

1. Also effecter a person or thing that effects.

2. Physiology. an organ or cell that carries out a response to a nerve impulse.

3. Biochemistry. a substance, as a hormone, that increases or decreases the activity of an enzyme.

4. end effector.

   The device has three arms with effectors that can grip and pick up objects.

---

effector British  

/ ɪˈfɛktə /

noun

1. physiol a nerve ending that terminates in a muscle or gland and provides neural stimulation causing contraction or secretion

---

Etymology

Origin of effector

1595–1605; < Latin, equivalent to effec-, variant stem of efficere ( see effect) + -tor -tor

---

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

effector

An initiator caspase first activates the pathway, followed by effector caspases that break apart proteins inside the doomed cell.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 18, 2026

They add that knowledge of horizontal transfer mechanisms and putative donor taxa might help to design future intercropping strategies that minimize the risk of transfer of effector genes between closely related Fusarium taxa.

From Science Daily ● Dec. 5, 2024

A research paper titled "Targeted recruitment of immune effector cells for rapid eradication of influenza virus infections" has been published in the peer-reviewed Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 19, 2024

Only when the parental cell's T-cell receptor managed a Goldilocks middle-ground binding strength were cancer-killing effector cells created.

From Science Daily ● May 30, 2024

The reed portion of the instrument acting alone can only express emotional feeling; the resonator, the effector of articulate speech, is the instrument of intelligence, will, and feeling.

From The Brain and the Voice in Speech and Song by F. W. (Frederick Walker) Mott

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---