Receptor
WordNet
noun
(1) An organ having nerve endings (in the skin or viscera or eye or ear or nose or mouth) that respond to stimulation
(2) A cellular structure that is postulated to exist in order to mediate between a chemical agent that acts on nervous tissue and the physiological response
WiktionaryText
Noun
- A structure on a cell wall that binds with specific molecules so that they can be absorbed into the cell in order to control certain functions.
- 2001: In the target organ, the drug is recognised by ‘receptors’. These are large molecules, usually proteins, to which the drug binds tightly and with a high degree of specificity. — Leslie Iversen, Drugs: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford 2001, p. 24)
- Any specialized cell or structure that responds to sensory stimuli.