sense organ

American  

noun

1. a specialized bodily structure that receives or is sensitive to internal or external stimuli; receptor.

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sense organ British  

noun

1. a structure in animals that is specialized for receiving external or internal stimuli and transmitting them in the form of nervous impulses to the brain

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sense organ Scientific  

/ sĕns /

1. In animals, an organ or part that is sensitive to a stimulus, as of sound, touch, or light. Sense organs include the eye, ear, and nose, as well as the taste buds on the tongue.

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Etymology

Origin of sense organ

First recorded in 1850–55

Example Sentences

But right in front of his eyes is his nose, which is his primary sense organ, the means through which he explores the world around him.

From Slate • Jun. 21, 2022

Unlike hearing, seeing, or tasting, the sense of time is not mediated by a specific sense organ but rather is "embodied" in a more all-encompassing way.

From Salon • Jan. 3, 2022

There’s no obvious sense organ to dissect; magnetic fields sweep invisibly through the entire body, all the time.

From Science Magazine • Jun. 23, 2016

The skin acts as a sense organ because the epidermis, dermis, and the hypodermis contain specialized sensory nerve structures that detect touch, surface temperature, and pain.

From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013

When musicians talk about ear, they don't mean the sense organ itself so much as the brain's ability to perceive, distinguish, and understand what the ear has heard.

From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones