Pacinian corpuscle

[puh-sin-ee-uhn]

noun

1. (sometimes lowercase),  a microscopic, onionlike body consisting of layers of connective tissue wrapped around a nerve ending, located in the deep layers of skin, tendons, etc., and functioning as a sensory receptor of pressure and vibration.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Pacinian corpuscle¹

1875–80; after Filippo Pacini (1812–83), Italian anatomist; -ian