photoreceptor

[ foh-toh-ri-sep-ter ]

/ ˌfoʊ toʊ rɪˈsɛp tər /

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noun Physiology, Biology.

a receptor stimulated by light.

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Origin of photoreceptor

First recorded in 1905–10; photo- + receptor

Words nearby photoreceptor

photoproton, photoreaction, photoreactivation, photorealism, photoreception, photoreceptor, photorecon, photoreconnaissance, photorecorder, photorecording, photoreduction

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use photoreceptor in a sentence

The key lies in the rod-shaped photoreceptors that principally govern peripheral vision and the cone-shaped receptors that give us our central view of the world.
A Blind Patient Regained Partial Sight in a Breakthrough Study, Offering Hope to Millions|Jeffrey Kluger|May 24, 2021|Time
Those photoreceptor cells pass information to the brain via bipolar cells and ganglion cells.
A gene-based therapy partially restored a blind man’s vision|Tina Hesman Saey|May 24, 2021|Science News
When they detect certain wavelengths of visible light, the photoreceptors trigger electrical signals.
Explainer: How our eyes make sense of light|Tina Hesman Saey|July 16, 2020|Science News For Students
These nanowires act as the artificial equivalent of photoreceptors.
A New Bionic Eye Could Give Robots and the Blind 20/20 Vision|Edd Gent|May 22, 2020|Singularity Hub

Response and recovery times in human photoreceptors range from 40 to 150 milliseconds.
A New Bionic Eye Could Give Robots and the Blind 20/20 Vision|Edd Gent|May 22, 2020|Singularity Hub

British Dictionary definitions for photoreceptor

photoreceptor

/ (ˌfəʊtəʊrɪˈsɛptə) /

noun

zoology physiol a light-sensitive cell or organ that conveys impulses through the sensory neuron connected to it

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

Scientific definitions for photoreceptor

photoreceptor

[ fō′tō-rĭ-sĕp′tər ]

A specialized structure or cell that is sensitive to light. In vertebrate animals, the photoreceptors are the rods and cones of the eye's retina. See Note at circadian rhythm.

An electronic device that converts light energy into electrical signals. Photoreceptors are used in photocopy and facsimile machines, cameras, and solar cells.