chemoreceptor

noun

che·​mo·​re·​cep·​tor ˌkē-mō-ri-ˈsep-tər How to pronounce chemoreceptor (audio)
: a sense organ (such as a taste bud) responding to chemical stimuli

Examples of chemoreceptor in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Corals may lack taste buds, nostrils and a brain, but the tiny reef-builders aren’t totally senseless: Their chemoreceptor cells can detect gaseous molecules floating around in the water, many of which are created by corals themselves during photosynthesis. Marisa Sloan, Discover Magazine, 28 Feb. 2022 These results demonstrate rapid remodelling of the chemoreceptor repertoire as an adaptation to specific environments, and indicate that parallel changes to a common genetic substrate can affect life-history traits across species. Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 19 Aug. 2011 All these substances can stimulate what’s called the chemoreceptor trigger zone in your brainstem, which communicates with another brain region called the vomiting center. Patrick Wilson, Outside Online, 15 June 2020 In fact, the vomiting in motion sickness is induced by the same area of the brain — the chemoreceptor trigger zone in the medulla — that causes vomiting in response to poisons. Quanta Magazine, 30 Jan. 2018

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'chemoreceptor.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

chemo- + receptor, after chemoreception

First Known Use

1906, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of chemoreceptor was in 1906

Dictionary Entries Near chemoreceptor

Cite this Entry

“Chemoreceptor.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chemoreceptor. Accessed 4 Nov. 2024.

Medical Definition

chemoreceptor

noun
che·​mo·​re·​cep·​tor -ri-ˈsep-tər How to pronounce chemoreceptor (audio)
variants also chemoceptor
ˈkē-mō-ˌsep-tər also ˈkem-ō-
: a sense organ (as a taste bud) responding to chemical stimuli

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