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exteroceptor

[ ek-ster-uh-sep-ter ]
/ ˌɛk stər əˈsɛp tər /

noun Physiology.

a receptor responding to stimuli originating outside the body.

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Origin of exteroceptor

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

Words nearby exteroceptor

external urethral opening, external urethrotomy, external version, externship, exteroceptive, exteroceptor, exterofective, exterritorial, extima, extinct, extinct in the wild
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

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 forms of exteroceptor

exteroceptive, 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

Medical 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.

Other words from exteroceptor

ex′ter•o•cep′tive adj.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.