exteroceptor

[ ek-ster-uh-sep-ter ]

/ ˌɛk stər əˈsɛp tər /

noun Physiology.

a receptor responding to stimuli originating outside the body.

Nearby words

externalizer, externally, externals, externship, exteroceptive, exteroceptor, exterofective, exterritorial, exterritoriality, extima, extinct

Origin of exteroceptor

1905–10; extero- (see exteroceptive) + (re)ceptor

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for exteroceptor

exteroceptor

/ (ˈɛkstərəʊˌsɛptə) /

noun

any sensory organ or part of the body, such as the eye, able to receive stimuli from outside the bodyCompare interoceptor, proprioceptor

Derived Formsexteroceptive, adjective

Word Origin for exteroceptor

C20 extero-, from Latin exterus exterior + (re) ceptor

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

Medicine definitions for exteroceptor

exteroceptor

[ ĕk′stə-rō-sĕp′tər ]

n.

One of the peripheral end organs of the afferent nerves in the skin or mucous membranes that respond to stimuli from outside the body.

Related formsex′ter•o•cep′tive adj.