refractory period
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noun Physiology.
a short period after a nerve or muscle cell fires during which the cell cannot respond to additional stimulation.
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Origin of refractory period
First recorded in 1875–80
Words nearby refractory period
refractometer, refractometry, refractor, refractory, refractory anemia, refractory period, refractory state, refracture, refrain, reframe, refrangible
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for refractory period
British Dictionary definitions for refractory period
refractory period
noun
a period during which a nerve or muscle is incapable of responding to stimulation, esp immediately following a previous stimulation. In an absolute refractory period there is a total inability to respond; in an effective or relative refractory period there is a response to very large stimuli
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 refractory period
refractory period
n.
The period that follows effective stimulation, during which excitable tissue fails to respond to a stimulus of threshold intensity.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Scientific definitions for refractory period
refractory period
The period immediately following the transmission of an impulse in nerve or muscle, in which a neuron or muscle cell regains its ability to transmit another impulse. See more at action potential.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.