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plural nociceptors
(anatomy) A sensory receptor that sends signals that cause the perception of pain in response to a potentially damaging stimulus. quotations examples
He divides receptors into three classes— "nociceptors", such as the nerve-endings for pain and hunger, "beneceptors", such as the nerve-endings stimulated when sugar melts on the tongue, and "neutroceptors", such as the nerve-endings in the eye and ear, called " neutroceptors" because they receive more or less indiscriminately both pleasant and unpleasant messages.
1929, The Australasian Journal of Psychology and Philosophy, page 310
The “beneceptors,” “nociceptors,” and "neutroceptors” generally signalled stimuli that were, respectively, beneficial, harmful, or neutral as regards the organism or its species.
1973, Behaviorism, page 42