refractory period


nounPhysiology.
  1. a short period after a nerve or muscle cell fires during which the cell cannot respond to additional stimulation.

Origin of refractory period

1
First recorded in 1875–80

Words Nearby refractory period

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British Dictionary definitions for refractory period

refractory period

noun
  1. 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

Scientific definitions for refractory period

refractory period

  1. 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.

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